DPRK's Kim calls for rapid nuclear buildup amid US-South Korea drills
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The DPRK's Kim Jong Un vows to expand nuclear weapons as US-South Korea begin joint drills.
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In this photo provided by the DPRK government, DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, center, inspects the warship Choe Hyon in Nampo, DPRK, on August 18, 2025. (AP)
The Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, has declared that the country must rapidly expand its nuclear armament, calling ongoing joint US-South Korea military exercises an "obvious expression of their will to provoke war," according to state media KCNA on Tuesday.
The remarks came as South Korea and the United States launched their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, aimed at strengthening defense capabilities in response to perceived threats from Pyongyang.
Kim’s statement was issued during a visit to a navy destroyer on Monday. He criticized the drills as a "clear expression of ... their intention to remain most hostile and confrontational" toward the DPRK. He further stated that the current security environment requires Pyongyang to "rapidly expand" its nuclear capabilities, particularly in light of what he described as a "nuclear element" involved in the exercises.
The 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, while similar in scale to 2024, have undergone a scheduling adjustment. South Korea's military announced that 20 of the 40 planned field training events will be rescheduled to September.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has expressed a desire to reduce tensions with the DPRK. However, analysts remain skeptical that Pyongyang will view these moves as conciliatory. While Pyongyang routinely condemns such exercises as rehearsals for invasion, both Washington and Seoul maintain that the drills are defensive.
DPRK warns of 'nuclear element' in US exercises
Kim Jong Un emphasized that the inclusion of a "nuclear element" in the joint drills reflects a direct threat to the DPRK’s security, arguing this justifies the need for accelerated nuclear development to counter what he sees as hostile policies by the US and its allies.
The DPRK’s nuclear posture is expected to be a central topic during an upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Washington.
An analyst at South Korea's Korea Institute for National Unification, Hong Min, said, "Through this move, North Korea is demonstrating its refusal to accept denuclearisation and the will to irreversibly upgrade nuclear weapons."
The DPRK is advancing its naval capabilities alongside its nuclear program, while planning to complete construction of a third 5,000-tonne Choe Hyon-class destroyer by October next year, and it is currently testing cruise and anti-air missiles designed for deployment on these warships.
A report by the Federation of American Scientists last year estimated that the DPRK may have produced enough fissile material to construct up to 90 nuclear warheads. However, the report noted that the country had likely assembled closer to 50.
