SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un put his second naval destroyer into service and called for building a more reliable nuclear deterrent, state media reported Monday, as the United States, South Korea and Japan began a trilateral military exercise he views as a security threat.
The ship’s commissioning comes as North Korea is dialing up pressure on the U.S. after rebuffing President Donald Trump’s decision to scale back a major military drill with South Korea in a conciliatory step toward Kim. Observers say North Korea wants to wrest bigger U.S. concessions.
