‘Kim Jong Un vows ‘rapid expansion' of nuclear forces after US, South Korea move
The US and South Korea began their annual 'defence-oriented' exercise, Ulchi Freedom Shield, on Monday to prepare for potential threats from North Korea.
Slamming the move, Mr Kim said: 'The US-ROK intensified military nexus and the muscle-flexing are the most obvious manifestation of their will to ignite a war,' according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
'The prevailing situation requires us to make a radical and swift change in the existing military theory and practice and rapid expansion of nuclearization,' he said.
Mr Kim made the comments when he visited North Korea's naval destroyer, Choe Hyon, on Monday and received a report about the warship's weapons systems.
During his visit, he expressed satisfaction that 'the major tasks for making the navy high-tech and nuclear-armed' were 'progressing as planned' ahead of an assessment target in October, KCNA said.
According to new agency, Mr Kim also confirmed plans to build a third destroyer by October after the nation's second destroyer was damaged in a failed launch in May before being repaired and relaunched in June.
Running from 11 days from August 18 to 28, Ulchi Freedom Shield is aimed at 'strengthening the alliance's response capabilities'.
About 21,000 troops, including 18,000 from South Korea, will be mobilised during the exercise.
'UFS25 is a defense-oriented exercise featuring live-fire, constructive, and field training exercises that engage alliance forces and governmental agencies,' the US Army said in a statement.
'ROK and U.S. units will conduct several large-scale, live-fire training events to strengthen interoperability, reinforce our combined defense posture, and increase combat readiness. Several United Nations Command member states are slated to contribute personnel and participate in various capacities.'
The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, consisting of Sweden and Switzerland, will observe the exercise.
North Korea – which attacked its neighbour in 1950, triggering the Korean War – has always been infuriated by US-South Korean military drills, decrying them as rehearsals for invasion.
The US stations around 28,500 troops in South Korea, and the allies regularly stage joint drills they describe as defensive in nature.
The two Koreas technically remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, rather than a peace treaty.
'Not enemies': South Korea tries to build 'trust' with North Korea
Mr Kim's remarks come after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung vowed last week to 'respect' North Korea's political system and build 'military trust', a day after Pyongyang said it had no interest in improving relations with Seoul.
Mr Lee, who has pledged to pursue dialogue the North since his election in June, said the South Korean government 'will take consistent measures to substantially reduce tensions and restore trust' with the North.
'We affirm our respect for the North's current system,' he said at an event marking the anniversary of liberation from Japanese rule, adding that Seoul had 'no intention of engaging in hostile acts'.
'I hope that North Korea will reciprocate our efforts to restore trust and revive dialogue,' Mr Lee said.
'North and South are not enemies.'
Kim Jong Un's sister says the North has 'no will to improve relations'
The South Korean President's speech came after Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the North has 'no will to improve relations' with the South and denied reports North Korea was removing propaganda loudspeakers.
'We have never removed loudspeakers installed on the border area and are not willing to remove them,' Ms Kim said in an English-language statement carried by KCNA.
'Recently, the ROK has tried to mislead public opinion by saying that its 'goodwill measures' and 'appeasement policy' are meeting a response, as well as to create public opinion that the DPRK-ROK relations are being 'restored'', she added, referring to the two Koreas by the abbreviations of their formal names.
'We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with the ROK … and this conclusive stand and viewpoint will be fixed in our constitution in the future,' Ms Kim added.
'Whether the ROK withdraws its loudspeakers or not, stops broadcasting or not, postpones its military exercises or not and downscales them or not, we do not care about them and are not interested in them.'
North Korea sent thousands of trash-carrying balloons southwards last year, saying they were retaliation for anti-North propaganda balloons floated by South Korean activists.
Later, the South turned on border loudspeaker broadcasts for the first time in six years – including K-pop tunes and international news – and the North started transmitting strange sounds along the frontier, unsettling South Korean residents.
The South's defence ministry said earlier this month it had begun removing loudspeakers from its side of the border as 'a practical measure aimed at helping ease tensions with the North'.
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