Summary of domestic news in North Korea this week

North Korea criticized Japan's latest defense white paper on Tuesday, accusing it of justifying the country's military buildup and serving as a legal basis for waging war. International security analyst Kang Won-chol made these claims in an article published by KCNA and Rodong Sinmun.

The North also sent condolences over the death of Xaysomphone Phomvihane, a former leader of the Lao parliament, according to state media.

Pyongyang vowed to secure an "unsurvivable" retaliatory capability in response to South Korea's nuclear submarine push, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea remained silent on its ballistic missile launch from the previous day, marking the second time Pyongyang has skipped a report of such launches in a row. The Korean Central News Agency and Rodong Sinmun failed to mention the launch as of 7 a.m.

The North's criticism of Seoul's nuclear submarine push marked its first official response to the matter, according to a South Korean unification ministry official.

North Korea warned it would respond to joint military drills between South Korea and the U.S. with a new level of a deterrent. South Korea and the U.S. plan to conduct the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise from Monday to Aug. 27.

Pyongyang criticized the United States' new nuclear strategy, which reportedly focuses on the use of short-range tactical nuclear weapons in conflicts with China or Russia, vowing to strengthen its nuclear deterrent for self-defense.