Anti-submarine torpedoes fail in additional test fires

The South Korean Navy has additionally test-fired indigenous anti-submarine torpedoes, but found they weren't suited for combat assignments after a success rate of only about 60 percent, a military source said Wednesday.

After the torpedo failed to hit its target in the initial test in July of last year, the Navy fired off eight more in a period of five months since last October. Five of them successfully passed the test, while three went missing.

The state-funded Agency for Defense Development created Hongsangeo, or Red Shark in English, over nine years from 2000 with a budget of 100 billion won (US$92 million). Some of the destroyers were loaded with the 5.7-meter-long torpedoes in early 2012.

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