North Korea warns of stronger response to U.S.-led drills

North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, the influential ‌sister of leader Kim Jong Un, ​on Friday (September 18, 2026) blamed U.S.-led military ⁠drills for “ever-worsening” tensions on the Korean Peninsula and vowed no change in the country’s ‌course to strengthen its nuclear arsenal.

In a statement carried by state ‌media KCNA, Ms. Kim referred ‌to the ⁠Pacific Vanguard 2026 naval exercise ⁠near Guam, calling it another threatening U.S.-led “war game” and part of Washington’s efforts to expand military ​influence in the ‌Asia-Pacific region through cooperation with allies including South Korea and Japan.

She said the current situation highlighted the need ‌for North Korea to take responsive ​measures “proportional or more offensive in its nature” and warned that the ⁠country’s armed forces would “mobilize all means available” if its security or national interests ‌were violated.