Overview

• Kim Jong Un, quoted by state media during an inspection of a navy destroyer, said the joint drills compel a rapid build-out of North Korea’s nuclear forces.
• He praised progress toward making the navy a high‑tech, nuclear‑armed force and framed the exercises as a hostile act with nuclear elements.
• Plans reported by Reuters include building a third Choe Hyon‑class destroyer by October next year and conducting new missile tests to bolster maritime strike capability.
• An analysis cited by Reuters estimates North Korea has enough fissile material for up to about 90 warheads, with roughly 50 potentially operational.
• Seoul has signaled interest in confidence‑building, but Kim Yo Jong said North Korea has no intention of improving relations with the South.