North Korea’s Kim Jong Un says new destroyer part of nuclear response system

SEOUL – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said a newly commissioned destroyer would be part of a nuclear response system capable of delivering “annihilating retaliatory strikes,“ state media KCNA reported on Monday, though it did not say whether the vessel would carry nuclear weapons. North Korea has accelerated efforts to modernize its navy as Kim pursues a broader expansion of the country’s nuclear-capable forces. At a commissioning ceremony in the port city of Wonsan on Sunday, Kim said deploying the new ship to the sea east of the Korean Peninsula sent a clear signal to North Korea’s adversaries.