North Korea says US-South Korea nuclear drill shows need for stronger nuclear deterrent

SEOUL: North Korea said on Monday a recent US-South Korean joint military exercise was ​a nuclear war rehearsal targeting the country and vowed ‌to accelerate efforts to strengthen its nuclear deterrent, according to state media KCNA.

Kim Jong Sik, a deputy department director in the ruling Workers’ Party, said ​the Iron Mace exercise showed the US remained unchanged in ​its “wild ambition to stifle North Korea with nukes” and ⁠that such threats were “escalating with each passing day.”

He said Iron ​Mace and other joint military activities by Washington and Seoul underscored ​the need for North Korea to bolster its nuclear forces at a faster pace.

The United States and South Korea held Iron Mace, an exercise aimed at ​integrating US nuclear capabilities with South Korean conventional forces, from ​September 29 to October 2, according to Seoul’s military.

North Korea fires around 10 ballistic missiles toward sea off east coast, Seoul says

Analysts said it was unusual ‌for ⁠Kim, a key official overseeing North Korea’s nuclear and missile development and production, to issue a statement setting out the country’s nuclear policy, a role more commonly taken by the defence or foreign ​ministry.

Yang Moo-jin, a ​professor emeritus at ⁠the University of North Korean Studies, said Kim’s role could be expanding beyond the development and ​production of missiles to include nuclear and missile policy.

Tensions ​have ⁠escalated between the two Koreas after a border mine explosion in September, with North Korea subsequently threatening to resume loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts toward ⁠the ​South by the end of October.

South Korea’s ​military said on Monday, however, there were no confirmed indications yet that Pyongyang had ​followed through on the threat.