North Korea holds underwater nuclear attack drone tests in protest against US joint military drills with Japan and South Korea:

North Korea has claimed to have conducted a test of its ‘underwater nuclear weapons system’ off the country’s eastern coast.

The declaration, aired Thursday, comes nine months after the despotic state first shared images of the armed underwater drones, whose nuclear capabilities have yet to be confirmed.

It also comes days after the US, South Korea, and Japan engaged in joint military drills in the East China Sea – as part of an effort to improve responses to Pyongyang’s ever-evolving nuclear threats.   

Kim Jong Un, meanwhile, has repeatedly defended the country’s actions, stating that his regime is merely building up for a war that could ‘break out at any time’.

Just last week, the dictator branded Seoul his ‘principle enemy’ – throwing the prospect of reunification into the rearview – as part of the regime’s new stance toward its southern neighbor.

An unnamed North Korean ministry spokesman announced the tests in a statement, further fueling concerns that the head of state who supposedly just celebrated his 40th birthday is frothing at the mouth for an all-out war. 

‘Our army’s underwater nuke-based countering posture is being further rounded off,’ the state’s statement reportedly said.  

‘Its various maritime and underwater responsive actions will continue to deter the hostile military maneuvers of the navies of the US and its allies.’

The ministry’s spokesperson went on to accuse the United States, South Korea and Japan of ‘getting frantic’ with their recent military exercises – which they warned could soon see ‘catastrophic consequences.’

The state media bulletin claimed the drones were deployed in the waters off its eastern coast, though did not specify a date. 

The tests, if true, would serve as the first display by the country’s ‘Haeil-5-23’ system – a project touted by Kim and his constituents this past spring as possessing both nuclear and underwater capabilities. The ‘haeil’ in the name translates to tsunami.

As of Friday, the Korean Central News Agency’s claims have yet to be verified, but could constitute the dictator making good on his new threats toward South Korea – as well as its longtime enemy the South has recently supplanted.

Source: