Kim Jong Un condemns US–South Korea military drills, signals nuclear expansion

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has criticised joint military exercises conducted by South Korea and the United States, describing them as “hostile” and calling for a significant expansion of the country’s nuclear capabilities.

According to the state news agency KCNA, Kim made the remarks during a visit to the destroyer Choe Hyon. He said the security situation facing North Korea is “increasingly serious” and that the current circumstances require “an epochal and rapid change” in the country’s military strategy, Caliber.Az reports. 

Kim characterised the drills, which began on August 18, as demonstrating “a hostile and confrontational will toward the DPRK,” adding that the exercises threaten regional peace and security. He noted that the inclusion of nuclear-capable elements in recent exercises marks a heightened level of concern.

“Such a situation requires an initiative-driven and overwhelming change,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying, signaling Pyongyang’s intention to respond to what it sees as growing military threats.

By Sabina Mammadli