President's Office: ``North Korea's claim that it was an underwater nuclear weapons test...possibility of exaggeration and fabrication'' = South Korea

Regarding North Korea's claim that it had successfully test-fired a nuclear-powered unmanned underwater attack craft three times last year, the presidential office said on the 21st, ``Based on the analysis to date, North Korea's claims are exaggerated.''
We will place emphasis on the possibility that the incident was fabricated." Regarding North Korea's claim that it tested an underwater nuclear weapon system on January 19th, the President's Office also said, ``If the test does not occur,
If so, it is presumed to be some kind of torpedo, but the possibility of it being a nuclear propulsion system is extremely low. "There has never been any development of a small nuclear reactor that could fit into a torpedo with a diameter of less than 1 meter."
According to the presidential office, North Korea has identified 'underwater-launched nuclear strategic weapons protection' as one of the five core issues in the five-year national defense development plan announced by Kim Jung Eun in January last year.
We are promoting the development of underwater weapon systems in line with our goals. A presidential office official said, ``Regardless of the authenticity of North Korea's claims, the South Korean military is using joint U.S.-South Korea ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) to investigate North Korea.
It tracks and monitors the development trends of underwater weapon systems such as nuclear torpedoes and SLBMs (submarine-launched ballistic missiles). The South Korean military has already demonstrated overwhelming strike capability against the launch base of the weapon system in the event of an emergency.
"We will further strengthen our anti-submarine forces and port protection posture." In addition, North Korea announced on the 14th that a solid-fuel IRBM (intermediate-range ballistic missile) equipped with a hypersonic missile was launched.
``The South Korean military has the ability to detect and intercept any missiles possessed by North Korea based on coalition ISR assets and missile defense systems.''
. "We will accelerate the construction of a complex multi-layered defense system in response to North Korea's increasingly sophisticated missile capabilities."