North Korea will take more action to maintain its military might despite US sanctions pressure, which has only made the country stronger, said a representative of the North Korean Foreign Ministry, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
"The heinous US sanctions served as a catalyst and driving force that unleashed the gradual growth of our national power," a senior North Korean foreign ministry official was quoted as saying by the state news agency KCTA.
The statement refers to Pyongyang's nuclear tests triggered by international sanctions.
The country will "defend its sovereign rights and security interests against increasing hostile threats and sanctions pressure from the US and take stronger real action to make its established military and technological strength irreversible", added the official.
Kim Yo-chen, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said yesterday that the country will continue to build up a crushing military force to defend its sovereignty and regional peace in response to frequent US military exercises with South Korea.
In recent months, the US and South Korean militaries have held a number of drills of greater scale and intensity under a pledge by the leaders of the two countries to increase their military readiness against military threats from North Korea, Reuters recalls. According to Pyongyang, the American military exercises are preparations for a nuclear war against it.
"We are used to US sanctions, and we have the ability and great power to oppose any severe sanctions," declared the representative of the North Korean Foreign Ministry.