Seoul, Oct 21 (IANS): North Korea said on Thursday that its recent test-firing of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) was not targeted toward the US, adding there is no need for Washington to "worry" over it.

A spokesperson for the North's foreign ministry expressed concerns over what it called "abnormal" reactions from the US and the UN Security Council as they convened an emergency meeting on its "rightful exercise of right to defence," Yonhap news reported, citing the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Two days earlier, North Korea fired an SLBM from the vicinity of Sinpo, where its main submarine shipyard is located. It marked the North's eighth known major missile test this year.

"To criticise the DPRK for developing and test-firing the same weapon system as the one the US possesses or is developing is a clear expression of double-standards and it only excites our suspicion about the 'authenticity' of its statement that it does not antagonize the DPRK," the spokesperson said.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.