S. Korea sees NK's claimed test of underwater nuclear attack drone as 'exaggerated, fabricated'

The presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul / Courtesy of presidential office

South Korea's presidential office said Sunday it is weighing the possibility that North Korea's latest purported test of an underwater nuclear weapons system is an "exaggerated and fabricated" claim.

North Korea said Friday it has conducted an important test of an underwater nuclear attack drone, named the Haeil-5-23, in the East Sea in response to the latest joint naval drills involving South Korea, the United States and Japan.

"Taking into account comprehensive analysis so far, we are weighing the possibility that North Korea's claim is exaggerated and fabricated," the presidential office said in a press release.

"If tested, it is presumed to be a kind of torpedo, but there is a very slim possibility that it is a nuclear-powered system. There is no case of the development of a small reactor that can be fitted in a torpedo with a diameter of less than 1 meter," it said. (Yonhap)