US Sends Spy Plane After North Korea Launches Underwater Drone

Flags of North Korea, rear, and South Korea, front, at the border area between two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, on Aug. 9, 2021. Im Byung-shik/Yonhap via AP

The U.S. Air Force has reportedly deployed a surveillance aircraft near South Korea in response to North Korea’s recent test of an underwater attack drone that the regime said is nuclear capable and can destroy naval vessels.

Flight trackers show that the RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft had flown above some regions in South Korea, including Incheon, Gangwon province, and the eastern and western coasts, Yonhap News Agency reported.

This comes just three days after North Korea said it tested a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone in the East Sea.

The weapon test was a response to joint naval drills carried out by the United States, South Korea, and Japan in waters south of Jeju Island, according to the North Korean Defense Ministry.

Although the naval drills ended on Jan. 17, North Korea didn’t specify when exactly it had tested the drone.

However, South Korea’s presidential office said on Jan. 21 that North Korea may have issued misinformation about its supposedly nuclear-capable underwater drone.

“Taking into account comprehensive analysis so far, we are weighing the possibility that North Korea’s claim is exaggerated and fabricated,” the presidential office stated.

“If tested, it is presumed to be a kind of torpedo, but there is a very slim possibility that it is a nuclear-powered system.

“There is no case of the development of a small reactor that can be fitted in a torpedo with a diameter of less than 1 meter,” it added.

South Korea’s military is already equipped with “overwhelming striking capabilities” that can target “the launch sites of such weapons systems in case of a contingency,” it added.

“We will further strengthen our anti-submarine capabilities and defense postures over ports.”

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense also has denounced North Korea’s recent tests as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions and said they pose a threat to peace in the region and globally.

The U.S. and South Korean militaries are poised to take a firm defensive stance against future North Korean provocations, the South Korean ministry said.

The underwater drone was first tested last year, according to North Korean reports, and is an addition to the heavy arsenal of weapons systems that North Korea has been expanding in recent years.

In March 2023, North Korea’s state media said the regime tested an underwater attack drone capable of generating a “super-scale radioactive tsunami” that could destroy enemy naval striker groups and ports.

According to the report, the nuclear-capable drone cruised underwater at a depth of 80 to 150 meters (262 to 492 feet) in the East Sea of Korea for 59 hours and 12 minutes before detonating underwater.

North Korea’s recent tests have included various missile systems designed to target the United States and its Asian allies, including long-range missiles capable of reaching the U.S. mainland—all while maintaining a position that authorizes its military to conduct preemptive nuclear strikes if North Korea’s leadership is under threat.

The United States has persisted in seeking “direct talks” with North Korea without preconditions in favor of a diplomatic solution, but North Korea has rebuffed these efforts.

Kos Temenes and The Associated Press contributed to this report.