Expert says Pyongyang's accelerated development of high-speed torpedoes aims to deter US aircraft carrier strike groups, nuclear-powered submarines from operating near the Korean Peninsula
North Korea is moving closer to deploying a new high-speed torpedo as part of its broader naval modernization drive.
Pyongyang announced Tuesday that the weapon could enter operational service with the North Korean Navy as early as 2027, a development analysts say could bolster its ability to challenge South Korean and US naval forces.
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, three key defense research bodies — the Academy of Defense Sciences, the Missile Administration and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau — conducted a joint assessment of the weapon's combat capabilities in the East Sea on Monday.
KCNA described the launch as part of the defense research institutions' "obligatory activities" aimed at advancing weapons technology.
The unusually specific deployment timeline suggests that the weapon may have progressed beyond experimental development and is approaching the final stages of operational validation, analysts said.
However, Pyongyang did not release photographs or detailed specifications of the torpedo, leaving its precise capabilities and operational readiness unclear.
A South Korean Unification Ministry official told reporters Tuesday that the latest test appeared "intended to showcase advances in North Korea's naval capabilities and underwater weapons development."
The official noted that the launch came just 25 days after Pyongyang's previous test of a new torpedo system, although further analysis would be necessary to determine the weapon's actual capabilities.
North Korea conducted a live-fire test of its new high-speed, precision-guided torpedo, dubbed "Zam-2.0," on Oct. 15, claiming that the system incorporated artificial intelligence technology for target detection and guidance.
At the time, Pyongyang said the test had demonstrated improvements in propulsion efficiency and rocket propulsion performance, which it claimed had been developed through more than 180 rounds of testing over the past five years.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said North Korea's accelerated development of high-speed torpedoes appeared aimed at deterring US aircraft carrier strike groups and nuclear-powered submarines from approaching waters near the Korean Peninsula during joint military exercises with South Korea.
"North Korea is continuing to accelerate the operational deployment of asymmetric underwater weapons systems," Lim said, adding that the weapons appeared intended to deter the deployment of US strategic naval assets near the peninsula.
He warned that advanced high-speed torpedoes could pose a serious threat to major South Korean surface combatants, including destroyers and frigates, as well as US underwater assets, given the difficulty of intercepting or disrupting such weapons.
The latest test also follows a series of North Korean weapons demonstrations involving tactical ballistic missiles equipped with dispersing warheads and strategic cruise missiles featuring advanced strike capabilities.
Lim said the successive tests pointed to Pyongyang's efforts to establish a multilayered asymmetric strike network spanning underwater, aerial and ground-based systems, potentially increasing threats to combined South Korean and US military forces.
He predicted that North Korea would continue to shun diplomatic engagement with Seoul and Washington for the time being, instead pursuing a strategy of "shaping the regional security environment through military strength."
The Seoul-based expert added that the explicit schedule indicated the North was moving rapidly toward operationalizing its advanced underwater weapons rather than merely demonstrating experimental capabilities. He also drew attention to the restrained tone of KCNA's announcement, which avoided the politically charged rhetoric frequently associated with North Korean weapons tests.
By characterizing the launch as a routine obligation of its defense research institutions, Pyongyang appeared to be emphasizing that weapons development and deployment would proceed according to established plans, regardless of changes in the external security environment, Lim explained.
The latest test underscored growing coordination among three key defense agencies in developing advanced underwater weapons.
Yang Moo-jin, a distinguished professor at the University of North Korean Studies, said the test appeared designed not only to verify the torpedo's combat effectiveness but also to assess cooperation among the three institutions throughout the weapons development process.
He suggested that the Academy of Defense Sciences may have overseen overall development, while the Missile Administration contributed guidance technology and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau provided expertise in underwater acoustics.
Yang also echoed Lim, noting that the announcement did not identify any senior official overseeing the test, suggesting that Pyongyang was placing greater emphasis on institutional coordination than on the launch itself.
"The planned deployment in early 2027 could indicate that mass production and operational deployment would proceed simultaneously," he added.
The latest launch comes amid North Korea's broader efforts to modernize its naval forces, which remain considerably outmatched by South Korea's more technologically advanced fleet.
Pyongyang has been pursuing new surface combatants, submarines and underwater strike systems as part of an effort to strengthen its ability to challenge South Korean and US naval operations near the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea has also accelerated its naval buildup, test-firing two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles in October, apparently from its 3,000-ton Hero Kim Kun Ok submarine, while commissioning two 5,000-ton destroyers, the Choe Hyon and Kang Kon, in June and September, respectively.
At the Choe Hyon's commissioning ceremony, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reaffirmed his commitment to expanding the Navy's nuclear capabilities, saying the program was progressing as planned.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
