North Korea says missile launches practice to attack South Korea, United States

North Korea on Monday said its missile tests over the past week were practices for a "thorough and merciless" response to South Korea and the United States after the two countries carried out military drills on the peninsula.

Our "response will be more thorough and merciless as the provocative military maneuvers of the enemies persist, and this will become the unwavering principle and direction of our armed forces in the future," the General Staff of North Korea's military said, according to state media, as translated.

The military also pledged to "respond to the enemy's all kinds of anti-[North Korea] war exercises with continuous, resolute and overwhelming practical military measures."

North Korea launched nearly two dozen missiles in one day last week, with one striking near the South Korean coast and causing the country to sound air raid sirens. Officials also believe North Korea's communist dictatorship fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that failed in flight. 

The following day, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed to "end" the regime of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un if he deployed nuclear weapons.