North Korea will soon equip navy with nuclear weapons, Kim Jong Un warns

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National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announces new military exercises involving US, Japan and South Korea

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan announced a new multi-year military exercise plan involving the U.S., Japan and South Korea in response to provocations from China and North Korea.

North Korea’s navy will soon be equipped with nuclear weapons in order to support the country’s “deterrence” strategy, dictator Kim Jong Un announced.

Kim’s announcement comes amid weeks of military drills in the region by both South Korea and the U.S. The leader blamed the U.S. military for increasing “the danger of a nuclear war” during an address on the country’s Navy Day.

“Owing to the reckless confrontational moves of the U.S. and other hostile forces, the waters off the Korean Peninsula have been reduced into the world’s biggest war hardware concentration spot, the most unstable waters with the danger of a nuclear war,” Kim was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea’s efforts are believed to be focused on equipping the country’s submarines with nuclear-capable missiles.

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North Korea’s navy will soon be equipped with nuclear weapons in order to support the country’s “deterrence” strategy, dictator Kim Jong Un announced. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

Kim’s announcements comes after more than a year of ramped up aggression from North Korea. The country has carried out a record number of weapons tests and missile launches in 2023.

North Korea’s military failed its second attempt to deploy a satellite in orbit last week, with its rocket failing in the third stage of flight. North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration said it will attempt to launch a spy satellite again in October.

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North Korea’s military failed its second attempt to deploy a satellite in orbit last week, with its rocket failing in the third stage of flight. North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration said it will attempt to launch a spy satellite again in October. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

The National Aerospace Development Administration said it would first study what went wrong with last week’s launch, but noted that “the cause of the relevant accident is not a big issue in terms of the reliability of cascade engines and the system.”

South Korea’s military said the launch of the rocket violated U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban North Korea from using ballistic technologies.

Kim Jong Un’s military is focused on deploying a satellite to orbit in October. ((Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP))

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Japanese Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno called the North Korean launch a “threat to peace and stability.”

Fox News’ Richard Lawrence and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to Anders.Hagstrom@Fox.com, or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.