SEOUL, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said a U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise showed their "will to ignite a war" and called for the rapid expansion of Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities, state media reported Tuesday.
"The U.S.-ROK intensified military nexus and the muscle-flexing are the most obvious manifestation of their will to ignite a war," Kim said, according to state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim made the remark as he inspected the North's first 5,000-ton destroyer, the Choe Hyon, at Nampo Shipyard on Monday -- the same day that the United States and South Korea kicked off an 11-day joint military exercise.
The annual summertime Ulchi Freedom Shield includes live field maneuvers, computer simulation-based command post exercises and related civil defense drills. Some 21,000 troops, including 18,000 South Korean personnel, are participating this year.
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