US holds drills with allies off Korean peninsula, Pyongyang vows to bolster navy

The drills come as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for “radically” modernising the weapons and equipment of its naval forces, criticising an increased presence of US strategic assets in the region.

The United States, South Korea and Japan staged joint naval missile defence drills off the Korean peninsula on Tuesday, as North Korea accused Washington and its allies of creating “the most unstable waters with the danger of a nuclear war.”