Anchor: North Korea claimed on Friday that it conducted a test in the East Sea of an underwater nuclear weapon system it is developing. Pyongyang said that this second provocation in less than a week was a necessary step after the joint naval drills of South Korea, the U.S. and Japan on Wednesday.
Tom McCarthy has more.

Report: Lashing out against joint naval drills by South Korea, the U.S. and Japan earlier in the week, North Korea said it has responded with a test of an underwater nuclear weapon system.

Through the North’s official Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Friday, Pyongyang’s defense ministry said that the allies’ drill posed a threat to the regime’s national security.

The underwater weapon system called the “Haeil-5-23” was tested in the East Sea as part of the regime’s efforts to deter hostile military moves, such as the trilateral drills the allies agreed to in December.

The test comes almost a year after the Haeil-1 was tested, with the regime releasing photos that appear to show a submersible projectile cruising below the ocean's surface before detonating.

Friday's announcement, lacking any elaboration on details or results of the test, comes after the North’s Missile General Bureau declared through the KCNA on Monday that it tested a solid-fuel hypersonic intermediate-range missile the day before.

The test drew sharp criticism from the allies, who called a UN Security Council meeting over the North’s recent spate of provocations on Friday, casting concern over not just ballistic missile developments but all threats emanating from the regime.

Such threats are projected to worsen as North Korea bolsters its ties with Russia on the back of a visit to the country by Pyongyang’s foreign minister, Choe Son-hui, from Sunday to Thursday.

The minister met with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss continued military cooperation and follow-up measures to agreements. The two also reportedly discussed a visit to the North by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met briefly with Choe on Tuesday.
Tom McCarthy, KBS WORLD Radio News.