Pentagon takes North Korea’s 'suicide drone' threat 'seriously'

The United States takes threats from what North Korea called "suicide drones" "seriously," a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday, reiterating Washington's commitment to cooperating with South Korea and other allies to ensure regional security.

The United States takes threats from what North Korea called "suicide drones" "seriously," a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday, reiterating Washington's commitment to cooperating with South Korea and other allies to ensure regional security.

The North's state media reported Monday that leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a performance test of various drones on Saturday, calling for the development and production of more suicide drones to bolster the country's war preparedness.

"We clearly want to take that threat seriously and it's something that we will keep an eye on," Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told a press briefing.

"I will just conclude by saying that we will continue to consult closely with the ROK and Japan and other partners and allies in the region to ensure that our collective defense remains strong," he added, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

Ryder also said that he found it "interesting" to see Pyongyang describe what are known as "one-way attack drones" as suicide drones.

In response to a question about how the U.S. will deal with North Korea's "asymmetric" threats, Ryder stressed Washington's focus on defense.

"In terms of North Korea and its capabilities, look, they have a long history here of destabilizing rhetoric and activities," he said.

"Again our focus in the region is defensive in nature and we are working with allies and partners to promote regional security and stability and to be prepared for any threats that North Korea presents."

He also pointed out that the United States does not want conflict with North Korea.

"We continue to call for diplomatic communication but so far, they have not been willing to take that olive branch," he said.

The North's test of drones was organized by its Drone Institute of the Academy of Defence Science, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In the test, the drones flew along various preset courses and correctly identified and destroyed the designated targets, as they have missions to attack enemy targets on the ground and at sea, KCNA said.

Yonhap