N. Korea vows to respond to South's deployment of F-35 jets

North Korea slammed South Korea over its ongoing deployment of high-tech U.S. fighter jets, warning Thursday that it will respond by developing and testing unspecified special weapons of its own to "destroy" the aircraft.

The statement, which also urged South Korea to abandon its "preposterous illusions" for improved ties, comes as Seoul has expressed hopes that a recent summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will help revive dialogue between the Koreas.

Under its biggest-ever weapons purchase, South Korea is to buy 40 F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin by 2021. The first two arrived in March and two others are to be delivered in coming weeks, according to Seoul officials.

The project was announced in 2014 to cope with then rising military threats from North Korea, which was conducting an unusually large number of weapons tests.

Animosities have gradually eased since last year when Pyongyang and Washington launched nuclear negotiations, but Seoul has been moving ahead with its already-approved F-35 procurement.

On Thursday, the North's Foreign Ministry fired off fresh criticism, claiming the second batch of F-35s is coming in South Korea in mid-July, something that Seoul officials won't confirm.

An unidentified policy research director at the ministry's Institutes for American Studies said Seoul's purchase of the U.S. jets was meant to "please the United States, their master, like eating mustard in tears," though Seoul knows well the project is an "extremely dangerous action" that will increase military tensions.

The director said North Korea has "no other choice but to develop and test the special armaments to completely destroy the lethal weapons reinforced in South Korea."