North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for a rapid expansion of his country’s nuclear arsenal, denouncing joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises as “an obvious expression of their will to provoke war,” state media KCNA reported on Tuesday.
The remarks came as Seoul and Washington began their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, an 11-day exercise aimed at strengthening their response to Pyongyang’s growing nuclear capabilities. South Korea’s military said this year’s drills are on a similar scale to 2024 but adjusted, with half of the field training events postponed until September.
Kim, speaking during a visit to a navy destroyer, accused the allies of maintaining a “most hostile and confrontational” stance toward North Korea, citing the “nuclear element” in recent exercises. He insisted that the current security environment requires Pyongyang to “rapidly expand” its nuclear armament.
The warning underscores doubts about North Korea’s willingness to engage with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s recent bid to reduce tensions. Analysts say Pyongyang remains committed to strengthening its arsenal rather than considering denuclearisation.
“North Korea is demonstrating its refusal to accept denuclearisation and the will to irreversibly upgrade nuclear weapons,” said Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification.
North Korea has been steadily modernising its military. It plans to complete construction of a third 5,000-tonne Choe Hyon-class destroyer by October next year and is currently testing cruise and anti-air missiles for naval deployment.
Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea are set to place North Korea’s nuclear programme high on the agenda when President Donald Trump meets President Lee in Washington in the coming weeks.
A study by the Federation of American Scientists estimated last year that while North Korea has produced enough fissile material for up to 90 nuclear warheads, the regime has likely assembled closer to 50, a figure analysts say could grow significantly if Kim’s latest push is realised.
Written By Rodney Mbua
