Kim condemns US-South Korea military drills, pledges to expand nuclear arsenal

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00:00North Korea's Kim Jong-un doesn't like the military drills South Korea is conducting with

00:05the U.S., calling them an obvious expression of their will to provoke war. Now he's vowing to

00:11expand his nuclear arsenal to counter what he sees as a threat to his nation's security.

00:19North Korean state media says Kim made the remarks while inspecting a destroyer first

00:25unveiled in April, which is his most advanced warship to date, and one that will be fitted

00:31with nuclear-capable systems. The joint exercise the South Korean and American forces are performing

00:38is called Ulki Freedom Shield. It's an annual event that is usually broken up into two main time frames.

00:46We reported on it before. This year's exercise features around 21,000 troops, including about

00:5218,000 South Koreans. The goal of Ulki Freedom Shield is to drill on possible responses to a

01:00North Korean nuclear attack, and troops engage in both computer-simulated operations as well as live

01:07field training. Since the drills are mostly defensive in nature, the U.S. and South Korea

01:13are disputing Kim's claims that they are being provocative. But Kim continues to condemn the

01:19exercises and says they require him to rapidly expand his nuclear arsenal because the drills have

01:26a nuclear element. President Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung are slated to meet in

01:32Washington next week, where they are expected to discuss Pyongyang's growing nuclear stockpile.

01:39Analysts say North Korea is already in the midst of a nuclear buildup. According to the Federation of

01:45American Scientists, as of last year, Pyongyang had enough material to produce 90 nuclear warheads,

01:53though it most likely built closer to 50. North Korea plans to construct a third 5,000-ton destroyer

02:01by fall of next year, and is currently testing various types of cruise and air defense missiles

02:07on the warships. Pyongyang showcased a second destroyer of the same class earlier this year,

02:13but things did not go as planned. That launch was botched, and the destroyer was damaged when part

02:20of it went underwater. It was relaunched in June following some repairs, but questions remain about

02:27whether it is truly combat-ready at this point. For more on this story, you can download the

02:33Straight Arrow News app today or visit us at san.com.