North Korea on Friday claimed to have tested a nuclear-capable submarine drone in response to naval exercises conducted by the U.S., South Korea, and Japan this week. In a saber-rattling statement released under the title “We Will Never Tolerate the Reckless Military Confrontation Hysteria,” Pyongyang’s Defense Ministry slammed the “provocative military exercises,” which it said formed part of a multi-year drill schedule arranged by “military gangsters of the United States,” Japan, and South Korea. “Our army’s underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off and its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the United States and its allies,” the statement added. It also said North Korea’s armed forces will “strike horror” into the hearts of the U.S. and its followers “for their reckless acts of seriously threatening the security of the DPRK.”
