North Korea hints at using nuclear weapons over US drills

A North Korean flag flutters in the wind near the border villages of Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea (Ahn Young-joon/AP/PA)

North Korea has issued a veiled threat to use nuclear weapons to get the US and South Korea to “pay the most horrible price in history” in an escalation of its criticism of ongoing military drills between its rivals.

Animosities on the Korean Peninsula have been running high in recent months, with North Korea testing a string of nuclear-capable missiles and adopting a law authorising the pre-emptive use of its nuclear weapons in a broad range of situations.