Kim Yo Jong Claims U.S. Air Drills Prove Need for North Korea’s Nuclear Force Expansion

Kim Yo Jong criticized the recent joint air drills conducted by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan, which involved American B-1B strategic bombers. She stated, “Ever-escalating military threats of hostile forces only prove the validity of our line of bolstering up nuclear forces.”

In a statement released on Wednesday through North Korea’s state-run media, Korean Central News Agency, she remarked, “The U.S., Japan, and the ROK frantically staged a combined air drill targeting our Republic once again in front of us on Sunday.”

She further pointed out, “Various fighter jets of the three countries, led by U.S. strategic bomber B-1B, were involved in the drill under the signboard of counteraction and warning to our latest strategic weapon test.”

The statement emphasized that South Korea’s military leaders declared their intention to intensify triangular military cooperation against perceived threats. It criticized the recent drill as a demonstration of their purported resolve and capability, highlighting the ROK-U.S.-Japan security collaboration and the integrated deterrence capabilities of the ROK-U.S. alliance aimed at countering and deterring the escalating nuclear and missile threats from the north.

She responded by asserting that this represents yet another clear demonstration of the enemy’s hostile and aggressive intentions toward their Republic. She also claimed it serves as further evidence of the validity and urgency of the chosen and implemented strategy to strengthen their nuclear forces.

The statement asserted that the critical security environment confronting the state demonstrates the certainty of its strategic decision to effectively defend national security and regional peace against the aggressive military threats posed by the U.S. and its allies.

She further warned that adversaries’ increasingly aggressive military threats will underscore the righteousness and urgency of their approach, which will be executed with corresponding dynamism and intensity.

Previously, on Sunday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced that they conducted air drills involving B-1B strategic bombers in response to North Korea’s long-range ballistic missile (ICBM) launch.

The JCS explained, “The training, conducted over the overlapping airspace of the Jeju East Sea and the Japan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), involved B-1B bombers alongside South Korean Air Force’s F-15K and KF-16, the U.S. Air Force’s F-16, and Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force’s F-2.”

This training involved the B-1B moving to the planned training area under the escort of South Korean and Japanese fighter jets, executing a strategy to simulate targets strike simulated targets swiftly and accurately.