Image Credits: Wikipedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has demanded the rapid expansion of his country\u2019s nuclear weapons capability, saying ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military drills could trigger a war.<\/p>\n
According to North Korea\u2019s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim called the intensified military cooperation between Washington and Seoul \u201cthe most obvious manifestation of their will to ignite a war.\u201d He said the situation required a \u201cradical and swift change\u201d in North Korea\u2019s military strategy and a \u201crapid expansion of nuclearisation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kim made the remarks during a visit on August 18 to the naval destroyer Choe Hyon at Nampo port. The warship, a 5,000-ton-class destroyer first unveiled in April, is part of North Korea\u2019s new naval program.<\/p>\n
KCNA reported that Kim was satisfied with progress on plans to make the navy \u201chigh-tech and nuclear-armed,\u201d with an evaluation set for October. He added that the navy must become a force that plays a full role within the country\u2019s state nuclear forces.<\/p>\n
During the inspection, Kim said the joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises were growing more provocative by adding what he described as a \u201cnuclear element.\u201d He claimed this showed hostility and required North Korea to respond with \u201cproactive and overwhelming\u201d countermeasures.<\/p>\n
His comments came as the allies began their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise on Monday. The 11-day drills involve 21,000 troops, including 18,000 South Koreans, with live-fire training, computer-simulated command operations, and field exercises. A U.S. Army statement described them as \u201cdefense-oriented.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
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South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has pledged to respect North Korea\u2019s system and build \u201cmilitary trust.\u201d Since taking office in June, he has called for talks without preconditions. But last week, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea\u2019s leader, said the North had \u201cno will to improve relations\u201d and denied reports of removing propaganda loudspeakers near the border.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A spokesperson for President Lee said Seoul has always regarded the Ulchi exercises as defensive. South Korea\u2019s Defense Ministry said it had no new assessments to share about the North\u2019s destroyer.<\/p>\n
The allies say the current drills aim to counter North Korea\u2019s advancing nuclear and missile programs. They also include training to deter nuclear use, respond to missile attacks, and lessons from recent conflicts, including Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine and the confrontation between Israel and Iran. Scenarios will address emerging threats such as drones, GPS jamming, and cyberattacks.<\/p>\n
North Korea has long condemned such joint exercises as rehearsals for invasion. Kim has repeatedly used them to justify weapons tests and military displays.<\/p>\n
The Choe Hyon is North Korea\u2019s most advanced surface vessel to date. Although described as a destroyer, analysts classify it as closer to a heavily armed frigate. It reportedly carries 74 vertical launch system (VLS) cells of various sizes, racks for cruise missiles, and a Pantsir-ME short-range air defense system. Analysts believe its design is based on a stretched version of Russia\u2019s Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate.<\/p>\n
The second vessel in the series suffered damage during a failed side-launch attempt and is now under repair. A third ship is under construction, with workers at Nampho Shipyard pledging to complete it in 14 months, according to North Korean state media.<\/p>\n
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<\/BR><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"North Korean Leader Kim Calls For Rapid Nuclearisation Of Navy Image Credits: Wikipedia North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has demanded the rapid expansion of his country\u2019s nuclear weapons capability, saying ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military drills could trigger a war. According to North Korea\u2019s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim called the intensified […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,196],"tags":[197],"class_list":["post-15428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marine-insight","category-shipping-news","tag-marine-insight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15428"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15428"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15428\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15428"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15428"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15428"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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