North Korea condemns South Korea's joint exercise with US

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a shipyard in Nampho to inspect a new 5000-ton destroyer Choe Hyun KCNA Yonhap — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (far left) inspects a a shipyard in Nampo, South Pyongan Province on Aug. 18, 2025, in this photo released by the state-run Korea Central News Agency the following day.

SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - North Korea on Tuesday denounced South Korea's ongoing joint military exercise with the U.S. which began the previous day, calling it a "clear expression" of its hostile stance toward Pyongyang, state media reported on Tuesday.

According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim lambasted the exercise, saying it revealed the South's "intention to remain most hostile and confrontational" toward the North, despite the annual drill being scaled down amid President Lee Jae-myung's repeated overtures to engage with North Korea.

Kim also accused Seoul and Washington of "destroying the peace and security environment in the region," leaving Pyongyang with no choice but to pursue a "rapid expansion of nuclearization."

Expressing satisfaction with the country's ongoing naval modernization, Kim made the remarks while inspecting a new 5,000-ton naval destroyer at a shipyard in Nampo, South Pyongan Province, accompanied by senior military officials.

Launched in April this year, the multipurpose destroyer, named after Choe Hyon, a comrade of the nation's founder Kim Il-sung during his days as a partisan fighter, is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, the annual exercise, involving some 18,000 South Korean troops and a similar number of U.S. personnel, runs until Aug. 28 and includes computer-simulated drills as well as field training to strengthen the two allies' combined defense posture against North Korean threats and other security challenges.

Cheon Soram cheons@ajunews.com