NORTH KOREA VOWS TO EXPAND NUCLEAR ARSENAL, ACCUSES US AND SOUTH KOREA OF PREPARING FOR WAR

NORTH KOREA VOWS TO EXPAND NUCLEAR ARSENAL, ACCUSES US AND SOUTH KOREA OF PREPARING FOR WAR

North Korea has warned that it will accelerate the expansion of its nuclear weapons capabilities, accusing the United States and South Korea of preparing for a potential nuclear conflict through joint military exercises.

In a statement issued on November 2, senior Workers’ Party official Kim Jong Sik condemned the joint “Iron Mace” exercise, describing it as a rehearsal for a nuclear attack against North Korea.

The exercise, conducted from September 29 to October 2 at South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff headquarters in Seoul, focused on coordinating US nuclear capabilities with South Korea’s conventional military forces.

Washington and Seoul maintain that such exercises are defensive measures designed to deter North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

Pyongyang, however, views the drills as evidence of hostile intentions, insisting that accelerating its nuclear weapons development remains a permanent national defense priority.

The warning comes amid growing military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.