North Korea’s Kim calls for rapid nuclear buildup amid US-South Korea exercises

August 19, 2025 9:37 AM

North Korea’s Kim calls for rapid nuclear buildup amid US-South Korea exercises

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country needed to rapidly expand its nuclear armament and called U.S.-South Korea military exercises an "obvious expression of their will to provoke war," state media KCNA reported on Tuesday. South Korea and its ally the United States kicked off joint military drills this week, including testing an upgraded response to heightened North Korean nuclear threats. Pyongyang regularly criticises such drills as rehearsals for invasion and sometimes responds w...

North Korea warns of reprisal against South Korea-US drills despite signs of tensions easing

August 11, 2025 11:38 AM

North Korea warns of reprisal against South Korea-US drills despite signs of tensions easing

North Korea has denounced a major joint exercise planned by the South Korean and U.S. militaries as "direct military provocation" and warned of counteraction, despite signs of easing tension across the border under a new leader in Seoul. North Korea's Defence Minister No Kwang Chol said its military has an "absolute mission" to defend national security against the large-scale 11-day drills by South Korea and the United States, which he said posed a real and dangerous threat. "The armed forces ...