The Library Media — National & World · World Desk
By Maya Wilson
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North Korea has tested a new high-speed torpedo weapon system in the East Sea and says it plans to begin deploying the system with its navy in early 2027, according to reports by Yonhap News Agency and Channel NewsAsia (CNA), citing North Korean state media.
The test took place on Monday, November 9, and was reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Tuesday, Yonhap and CNA reported. KCNA said the Academy of Defense Sciences, the Missile Administration and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau had verified the system’s combat effectiveness during the test.
Yonhap reported that North Korea described the test as part of the defense research institutions’ required work to advance weapons technology. CNA also quoted KCNA as saying the exercise was part of efforts to put weapons systems technology on a more highly developed footing.
KCNA said the new-type high-speed torpedo system would be equipped by the navy from the beginning of 2027, according to Yonhap. CNA reported the planned deployment as beginning in early 2027.
The North Korean reports provided little technical information about the weapon. Yonhap said Pyongyang gave no further specifications, while CNA reported that KCNA did not disclose details about the torpedo’s capabilities or its launch platform. Neither outlet reported that North Korea had released photographs of the newly tested system.
Yonhap reported that KCNA said the test verified core technology intended to improve propulsion efficiency and the performance of a rocket-propulsion device. North Korean state media said those technologies had been developed through more than 180 rounds of different tests over the past five years, Yonhap reported. The claims have not been independently verified in the reporting.
The latest test follows a separate underwater test in October. Yonhap reported that North Korea tested a high-speed, precision-guided torpedo called the Zam-2.0, which KCNA said used artificial intelligence in target detection and guidance. That earlier weapon was described by North Korean state media as a significant development in the country’s naval capabilities.
The November announcement did not establish whether the newly tested system is the same weapon as the Zam-2.0 or a separate design. The available reports do not provide enough technical detail to determine the relationship between the two systems.
The test comes as Pyongyang continues efforts to expand its naval capabilities. Yonhap reported that North Korea has also conducted other weapons tests and commissioned two 5,000-tonne destroyers in 2026. CNA similarly placed the torpedo test within a wider effort to develop maritime and underwater strike capabilities.
A South Korean unification ministry official told Yonhap that the latest test appeared intended to demonstrate North Korea’s strengthened naval power and improved underwater weapons systems. The official said further analysis would be needed because North Korean state media had provided neither specifications nor photographs, Yonhap reported.
The reports did not include a new public response from the United States or other regional governments specifically addressing Monday’s torpedo test.
For now, the established details are limited: North Korea says it tested a new high-speed torpedo system in the East Sea on Monday, described the exercise as a verification of combat effectiveness, and has stated an aim of equipping its navy with the system from early 2027. Its specifications, launch platform and demonstrated operational capabilities remain undisclosed.
About the author: Maya Wilson is the intelligence lead of The Library and lead of the World desk at The Library Media.