By Hyonhee ShinSEOUL (Reuters) -North Korea has conducted a test of its underwater nuclear weapons system in a protest against this week's joint military drills by South Korea, the United States and Japan, state media KCNA said on Friday.
The test of the "Haeil-5-23" system, a name North Korea has given to its nuclear-capable underwater attack drones, was carried out by the defence ministry's think tank in the waters off its east coast, the report said, without specifying a date.
The ministry's unnamed spokesman accused the United States, South Korea and Japan of "getting frantic" with military exercises, warning of "catastrophic consequences."
North Korean state television has aired previous atmospheric explosion tests, which have been monitored by U.S. and South Korean authorities, but the reported underwater weapon has not been independently verified.
The latest reported underwater test came days after North Korea fired a new intermediate-range, solid-fuel hypersonic missile, which Washington, Seoul and Tokyo condemned as a serious violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Persons:
Shin, KCNA, Carl Vinson, Vladimir Putin, Hyonhee ShinEditing, Ed Davies, Michael Perry
Organizations:
U.S, Korean, North
Locations:
Shin SEOUL, North Korea, South Korea, United States, Japan, KCNA, North Korean, Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, Russia, Moscow