North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for a faster expansion of nuclear weapons while criticizing annual military exercises by South Korea and the United States as “the most hostile and confrontational” to Pyongyang.
Kim made the remarks after visiting the country’s new warship, the Choe Hyon, on the first day of Ulchi Freedom Shield—a joint US-South Korean military exercise that runs until August 25.
Kim said the military exercises were a clear sign of US and South Korean aggression against North Korea and insisted his country must respond with a more rapid and expanded nuclear program.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry responded, saying the military exercises were purely defensive and had no intention of inciting regional tensions.
Experts say Kim’s visit to the warship is intended to demonstrate Pyongyang’s determination to expand its nuclear arsenal, in light of the upcoming meeting between South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung and US President Donald Trump on August 25.
