North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said a U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise could "ignite a war" and called for the rapid expansion of Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities.

Kim Yo Jong, a senior official on the State Affairs Commission, called South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s push for improved ties a “pipe dream,” according to a statement published by the Korean Central News Agency. She accused Lee or trying to create an “amicable image” while hosting a large-scale military exercise with the United States.

North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un remained unhappy as the U.S. and South Korea conducted their annual summer joint military drills.