Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un called for strengthening his country's military deterrence in a "more practical and offensive" way to counter what it described as aggressive moves by the United States and South Korea.
Kim's comments came during an expanded meeting on Monday of the Central Military Commission to discuss ongoing efforts to bolster the country's military deterrence "to keep pace with growing moves by U.S. colonialists and treacherous puppets in South Korea to launch a war of aggression," KCNA said.
North Korea is angrily reacting to a series of military exercises by the two allies that the Central News Agency described as aimed at preparing for "all-out war" and forcing Pyongyang to consider a "strong practical response", including military options.
South Korean and U.S. forces have been conducting their annual spring drills since March, involving air and naval exercises involving a U.S. aircraft carrier, B1-B and B-1 bombers, and the first large-scale amphibious landing drills in five years.
North Korea has carried out a number of military activities in recent weeks, unveiling new small-scale nuclear warheads.
It tested what it described as an attack drone capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and launching an underwater attack and launched an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting any area of the United States.