North Korea declared to respond to what it called strategic threats from the United States and other enemies by "strategic means," referring to Seoul and Washington's joint military drills involving U.S. strategic bombers.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Saturday, the chief of public affairs of North Korea's defense ministry said the military provocations by the U.S. and its followers have escalated since the Trump administration took office.

It then cited the year's first deployment of the U.S. B-1B strategic bomber to the Korean Peninsula on Thursday, as well as the allies' planned combined "Freedom Shield" drills next month, which will include a field training exercise.

The ministry said Pyongyang's nuclear armament is part of its self-defense measure to protect sovereignty and regional security, and that its rapid reinforcement is being realistically called for in response to the "tyrannical" military threats from the U.S. and its followers.

This is the first time Pyongyang has specifically mentioned the Trump administration in an official statement. The regime has been responding promptly and sensitively to the allies' military training and reference to its denuclearization in apparent attempt to gain leverage in negotiation.