North Korea Urges Rapid Nuclear Weapons Growth as US Drills Start

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for the “rapid expansion” of his country’s nuclear weapons program, escalating tensions with the US and South Korea as the allies conduct joint military drills that Pyongyang views as a prelude to war.

Visiting the recently launched destroyer Choe Hyon, Kim said the security environment around the country requires North Korea to make a “rapid expansion of nuclearization” and speedily develop its naval forces, state media Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday.