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

SEOUL, Nov 2 (Reuters) – 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.

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.

(Reporting by Kyu-seok ShimEditing by Ed Davies)

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