North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered a rapid expansion of the country’s nuclear weapons program, describing military drills between the U.S. and South Korea as a “clear expression of their desire to ignite a war.”
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday that Kim made the comments during a visit to a naval destroyer on Monday. He stated the exercises were “a clear expression of… their intent to remain in a state of extreme hostility and confrontation” towards North Korea.
Kim added that the security environment requires the North to “rapidly expand” its nuclear armaments, noting that the recent joint drills included a “nuclear element.”
This week, South Korea and its ally, the United States, began joint military exercises, which include testing a robust response to North Korea’s growing nuclear threats. Pyongyang regularly condemns these drills as rehearsals for an invasion, sometimes responding with its own weapons tests. Seoul and Washington maintain that the exercises are purely defensive.
In addition to expanding its nuclear program, North Korea plans to build a third Choe Hyon-class 5,000-ton destroyer by October of next year and is also testing cruise and anti-aircraft missiles for these warships.
