News - World: A North Korean foreign ministry official says Pyongyang will strengthen its military power despite facing sanctions pressure.

The senior foreign ministry official on Thursday attributed the country's national strength to the impact of harsh US sanctions, according to KCNA news agency.

“US heinous sanctions served as a catalyst and driving force that unleashed a gradual increase in our national strength,” the official said.

North Korea has been under sanctions since 2006, put in place by the UN Security Council and led by the US in response to the country's nuclear program.

The official emphasized that the nation is determined to safeguard its sovereignty and security interests amidst growing hostile threats and sanctions pressure by the United States.

Further on, he stated that the country will implement more robust measures to solidify its existing military and technological prowess, ensuring its irreversible strength.

“We are used to US sanctions, and we have the ability and great power to stand up to any harsh sanctions,” the foreign ministry official added.

Morevoer, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said on Wednesday that the nation will continue its “overwhelming” military expansion in response to the recurrent military exercises conducted by the United States alongside South Korea.

“We will continue to build overwhelming and the most powerful military power to safeguard our sovereignty, security and regional peace,” KCNA quoted her as saying.

She also warned that the US military exercise with South Korea is driving the regional security environment into dangerous turmoil.

North Korea’s leader has repeatedly said his government is building up its military arsenal in preparation for war by the West that could "break out at any time" on the peninsula.

On Monday, he guided a combined tactical drill simulating a nuclear counterattack involving super-large multiple rocket artillerymen, amid joint military exercises by the US and South Korea.

KCNA reported that the drills showcased North Korea's "nuclear trigger" management system for the first time, adding that the rockets “hit their island target,” some 352 kilometers away.

The drills came in response to a US-South Korean joint air drill, which kicked off on April 12 and will run until April 26, according to the news agency.

North Korea, which declared South Korea as its “principal enemy” this year, regularly conducts missile tests to advance its military program for defense purposes.

In early April, North Korea’s military conducted a test of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) from its eastern coast capable of hitting US military bases in the Western Pacific.

Source: Press TV