North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Pak Gil-yon says his nation will act responsibly regarding the management and utilization of nuclear weapons as well as issues of anti-proliferation and arms reduction.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday that Pak made the remarks during a speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.

Pak reportedly said that his country is not pursuing a nuclear arms race and that nuclear weapons possessed by the North serve only as a deterrent to military attacks and enemy threats.

Pak's comment is seen as the North's response to the international community's concerns about the management and use of nuclear weapons and proliferation, as well as an attempt to be recognized as a nuclear power.