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Kim Jong-un, North Korean leader, inspects the weapons integration tests of the country’s first 5,000-ton-class destroyer, the Choe Hyon-ho, at the Nampho shipyard in South Pyongan Province on August 18. / Source: Yonhap News

Kim Jong-un denounced the first day of the annual U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise on August 18, calling it “a clear intention of war provocation” and warning against what he described as a deepening military alignment that now includes nuclear elements.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 19, Kim made the remarks while inspecting weapons integration tests on the Choe Hyon-ho, North Korea’s first 5,000-ton-class destroyer, at the Nampho shipyard in South Pyongan Province.

“The joint drills once again carried out by the U.S. and South Korea are the clearest expression of hostile and confrontational intent toward the DPRK,” Kim said, adding that “their intensifying military collusion and shows of force are nothing but the most explicit manifestation of war provocation and the root cause of destroying the peace and security environment in the region.”

He accused Washington and Seoul of attempting “military collusion involving nuclear elements,” stressing that the evolving situation demands “a proactive and overwhelming response.”

Kim ordered the Navy to drastically strengthen its operational capabilities, saying: “From the perspective of both the development of the Republic’s armed forces and our country’s unique geopolitical conditions, rapidly advancing our naval combat power is a matter of utmost national importance. In the near future, our Navy will firmly establish itself as a reliable force within the state’s nuclear arsenal and nuclear operations.”

“The most reliable guarantee for maintaining regional stability and safeguarding national sovereignty is to make the enemy fear us,” Kim continued. “Our stance on managing the situation and our national defense strategy will not change in the slightest.”

He pledged continued measures to accelerate military buildup, warning that the North’s determination to defend its sovereignty “will be demonstrated through practical actions.”

KCNA reported that Kim expressed satisfaction with the progress of the destroyer’s modernization program and instructed that testing be completed in August and September, with performance and operational capability evaluations to follow in October.