North Korea reaffirmed a resolve to bolster its nuclear capabilities, claiming that a U.S. commander's comment on the regime's production of intercontinental ballistic missiles(ICBM) was evident of Washington's hostility.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Saturday, a senior official from the North's defense ministry said Pyongyang's enhanced self-defense capability is essentially required to deter the enemy's provocation attempts and guarantee national security.

The statement expressed a grave regret over the U.S. military's confrontational conduct of publicly discussing the North's non-existent "threat" to justify its risky military ambition with an objective to take dominance over regional power.

The statement continued that the only way for the U.S. to ease concern over its security would be to give up on its military threats and hostile policies against other sovereign states.

Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command(NORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command(NORAD), told a Senate committee last Thursday that North Korea continues its bellicose rhetoric while test-launching increasingly advanced long-range missiles.

Guillot added that the defense of North America is an active endeavor that requires NORAD and NORTHCOM to campaign against threats in all domains along all approaches.