North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stressed his order of a quick expansion of his forces' nuclear capabilities, citing the annual U.S.-South Korea military exercises, according to the country's state media.

By Ju-min Park and Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country needed to rapidly expand its nuclear armament and called U.S.-South Korea military exercises an "obvious expression of their will to provoke war,

South Korea and the United States began their annual large-scale joint military exercise on Monday to better cope with threats by nuclear-armed North Korea.