Hours after North Korea issued threats against the U.S. and South Korea on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said that North Korea would not be surprised to hear the same message from the U.S.

The North's state Korean Central News Agency reported on Thursday its leader Kim Jong-un said in a speech the previous day that the North's armed forces are fully prepared to respond to any crisis and his country is willing to use its nuclear weapons against the U.S. and South Korea.

Kim also said that his regime is fully prepared for any military confrontation with the U.S., taking issue with its joint military exercises with South Korea.

When asked about the threat, the U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday that it is fair to say that the North also wouldn't be surprised to hear the same message from the U.S.

Price said Kim's latest comments are not categorically different from what the U.S. has heard from the North over the course of recent months and in recent years, adding that Washington will not respond to the comments.

The spokesperson then reaffirmed the U.S.' ironclad commitment to the defense of South Korea and Japan, adding the U.S. also remains open to engaging in dialogue with Pyongyang.