Kim Jong Un vows to expand nuclear arsenal, slams US-South Korea drills

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to speed up the expansion of his country’s nuclear arsenal, denouncing ongoing United States-South Korea military exercises as proof of “hostile intent,” state media reported Tuesday.

During a visit to a naval destroyer, Kim called the joint drills “an obvious expression of their will to provoke war” and urged the rapid expansion of Pyongyang’s nuclear programme, citing what he described as “nuclear elements” in the exercises.

The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises began this week, combining large-scale field manoeuvres with upgraded responses to North Korea’s growing nuclear capabilities.

The drills will run for 11 days, though half of the 40 scheduled training events have been postponed until September in line with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s appeal to reduce tensions.

Seoul and Washington insist the exercises are defensive, but Pyongyang regularly portrays them as invasion rehearsals and often responds with weapons tests.

“Through this move, North Korea is showing its refusal to accept denuclearisation and its determination to irreversibly upgrade its nuclear weapons,” said Hong Min, analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul.

A 2023 study by the Federation of American Scientists estimated North Korea has produced enough fissile material for up to 90 nuclear warheads, though experts believe about 50 are assembled.

Alongside its nuclear programme, Pyongyang is also boosting naval power. State broadcaster KCNA reported plans to complete a third 5,000-tonne Choe Hyon-class destroyer by October 2025, with ongoing tests of cruise and anti-air missiles for the fleet.

North Korea’s stance is expected to dominate talks between US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee in Washington later this month, with Pyongyang’s weapons ambitions at the top of the agenda.