North Korea has vowed to go ahead with plans to bolster its nuclear capabilities while denouncing a joint statement from South Korea, the United States and Japan, in which the three nations resolved to seek the North’s complete denuclearization.

The North’s foreign ministry issued the criticism in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Tuesday, expressing “serious concern” over what it called the foolish acts of the U.S., Japan and South Korea, which it accused of inciting confrontation and conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

The foreign ministers of the three nations released the joint statement on Saturday after a meeting held on the margins of the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

North Korea said the U.S. is pursuing an outdated and absurd plan, calling denuclearization a “shortsighted” goal.

The KCNA statement continued that as long as threats exist from the U.S. and its vassal forces, the North’s nuclear weapons are a legitimate means of self-defense under its constitution and are necessary for peace and sovereignty.

The country’s foreign ministry then said it will consistently adhere to its policy of bolstering its nuclear force and will thoroughly deter the U.S. and its vassal forces.