Kim says North Korea must be ready against US-led invasion plots, while US, allies start new drills

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says its leader, Kim Jong Un, has called for the military to be constantly ready for combat to thwart plots to invade, as the U.S., South Korea and Japan hold a trilateral naval exercise to deal with North Korea’s evolving nuclear threats. It says Kim made the remarks in a speech marking Navy Day on Monday. Kim cited the U.S. drills with its allies, the deployment of more powerful U.S. weapons near the Korean Peninsula, and a U.S.-South Korean-Japanese summit at which an agreement was reached to boost defense cooperation to counter North Korea’s nuclear program.