North Korea claimed Saturday that its submarines have been tracked by US Navy since last year.

In an interview with the North's Korean Central News Agency, a spokesman for the country's foreign ministry said there have been reports that US nuclear-powered submarines have been secretly following the North's subs.

"The US military is neither confirming nor denying the reports, but the reports say it is an undeniable fact that the US is tracking our submarines and gathering information," the official was quoted as saying.

The unidentified spokesman also claimed that the US Navy has been operating its submarines in waters around the Korean Peninsula to keep an eye on China and Russia.

"There is no guarantee that should a clash arise between the strategic submarines of nuclear powers in the area, this will not escalate to a nuclear war," he said. "We are prepared to deal with any form of war the US wants. The US will have to take full responsibility for the resulting catastrophic consequences." (Yonhap)