North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has once again turned up the heat on the Korean Peninsula, this time standing proudly aboard his most advanced warship and vowing to ramp up his nuclear arsenal in the face of what he calls “provocative” military exercises by the US and South Korea.
On Monday, Kim toured the 5,000-ton-class destroyer Choe Hyon at the western port of Nampo. State media hailed the ship, fitted with nuclear-capable systems, as the jewel in his expanding naval crown. Kim used the moment to lash out at the start of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, an 11-day exercise mobilising 21,000 troops (18,000 of them South Korean) in a mix of command post simulations and field training.
For Washington and Seoul, these drills are defensive, designed to counter North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threats. They’ll even include lessons from recent conflicts such as Russia’s war in Ukraine and the confrontation between Israel and Iran, alongside preparations for drone warfare, GPS jamming, and cyberattacks.
But Pyongyang paints a very different picture. For decades, the regime has branded joint drills as rehearsals for invasion, and Kim didn’t hold back this time either. He accused the allies of showing a “will to ignite a war” and insisted their exercises now carry a “nuclear element.” His answer? A pledge of “proactive and overwhelming” countermeasures, with a rapid expansion of nuclear capabilities at the heart of his strategy.
“The security environment around the DPRK is getting more serious day by day,” Kim was quoted as saying. “The situation requires a radical and swift change in military theory and practice, and rapid expansion of nuclearisation.”
A Navy on the Nuclear Path
The Choe Hyon, first unveiled in April, is designed to carry a range of weapons systems including anti-air and anti-ship missiles, as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. Kim sees it as vital to pushing his navy into a new era of nuclear strike capability.
The ship is due to enter active duty next year. A second vessel of the same class, Kang Kon, had an embarrassing setback in May after a botched launch left it damaged, sparking fury from Kim who labelled the failure “criminal.” Repairs were completed and the ship was re-launched in June, though experts remain doubtful about its full operational status.
During his inspection in Nampo, Kim also checked on the progress of a third destroyer expected to be completed by October. He reportedly expressed “satisfaction” with the ship’s weapons systems and ordered further performance tests for the autumn.
Growing Tensions, Few Talks
Kim’s naval push comes against a backdrop of worsening regional tensions. North Korea has deepened its ties with Moscow since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and repeatedly dismissed US and South Korean calls to restart nuclear talks, stalled since the collapse of Kim’s 2019 summit with Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae Myung, is pushing for a return to dialogue. In a message to Pyongyang last week, he pledged to revive the 2018 military agreement that once created buffer zones and no-fly areas along the border. But that deal has long since unravelled, with both Korea’s abandoning its terms amid balloon launches, propaganda campaigns, and a resumption of front-line activity.
Seoul insists the current drills are defensive and aimed squarely at deterrence. But with Kim’s navy now boasting nuclear-capable warships and more on the way,
