Tensions Rise as Kim Expands Nuclear Arsenal
Kim inspects nuclear-capable warship, vows military escalation.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un criticized ongoing South Korea-US military exercises, calling them a provocative act, during an inspection of his navy’s most advanced warship, the Choe Hyon, at Nampo port on Monday. The 5,000-tonne destroyer, designed to carry nuclear-capable missiles, reflects Kim’s ongoing efforts to expand his nuclear arsenal amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, an 11-day joint drill involving 21,000 troops, began on Monday to counter North Korea’s advancing nuclear and missile threats. The allies describe the exercise as defensive, aimed at deterring nuclear use, responding to missile attacks, and addressing threats like drones and cyberattacks, incorporating lessons from conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Kim, according to North Korea’s state-run KCNA, described the drills as evidence of hostility, accusing the allies of incorporating a nuclear element that requires a strong response. He called for a rapid expansion of nuclear capabilities, citing a deteriorating security environment around the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
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During his visit to the Choe Hyon, unveiled in April, Kim reviewed its weapons testing and integrated systems, which include antiair, anti-naval, and nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles. The warship is set to enter active duty next year, advancing Kim’s goal of extending the range and strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed navy.
Kim also assessed progress on a third destroyer, expected to be completed by October, and ordered performance tests for the Choe Hyon in the same month. A second destroyer, the Kang Kon, was damaged during a failed launch in May but was reportedly repaired and relaunched in June, though its full operational status remains uncertain.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have worsened as Kim has accelerated his nuclear program and deepened ties with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. South Korea’s new President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June, has expressed willingness to restore dialogue and a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement to reduce border tensions, but North Korea has dismissed such calls, having abandoned the agreement in 2024 after launching trash-laden balloons toward the South.
