North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on 19 Aug. ordered the “rapid expansion” of his country’s nuclear forces, calling U.S.–South Korean joint exercises an “obvious expression of their will to provoke war,” according to state‐run KCNA. As he inspected what Pyongyang described as its most powerful warship, Kim repeated the warning, while his sister and senior aide Kim Yo Jong dismissed President Lee Jae Myung’s peace overture, saying Seoul is “not a diplomatic counterpart” and accusing it of a “dual personality” over the drills. Tensions sharpened when roughly 30 North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the inter-Korean Military Demarcation Line earlier this week. The U.N. Command said South Korean troops issued warnings and then fired more than 10 warning shots before the intruders retreated. Pyongyang denounced the move as a “serious provocation” that could trigger an “uncontrollable” clash. On 23 Aug., Kim supervised the launch of two newly developed air-defense missiles that KCNA said showed a “fast response” against drones and cruise missiles. The demonstration coincided with the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield maneuvers and came two days before Presidents Donald Trump and Lee are due to meet in Washington. The rapid succession of weapons tests, border incidents and hostile rhetoric underscores a fresh escalation on the Korean Peninsula as Pyongyang pairs an expanded arsenal with increasingly blunt warnings against Seoul and Washington.