Kim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, said on Saturday that Pyongyang could use its nuclear weaponry to counter hostile forces.
The country should be able to contain and frustrate all dangerous attempts and threatening moves if necessary to maintain the absolute superiority of North Korea's forces, according to the official KCNA news agency.
Pyongyang should build up its arsenal so that it can have the overwhelming military muscle no force can cause, Kim said, calling it the lifeline for the security of the country. The leader said on Monday that he could use his atomic arsenal if North Korea's fundamental interests were threatened.
Kim made his latest comments at a meeting with top brass to praise their work on Monday s parade, which commemorated the 90th anniversary of the country's armed forces and showcased its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Despite the sanctions, North Korea doubled down on Kim's military modernization drive, testing-firing a slew of banned weapons this year, while ignoring U.S. offers of talks.
Last month, Pyongyang fired an ICBM at full range for the first time since 2017 and satellite imagery shows signs of activity at a nuclear testing site.
The string of weapons tests comes as South Korea prepares for an incoming president, Yoon Suk-yeol, who takes a more hawkish approach to Pyongyang and has not ruled out a pre-emptive strike if necessary.
Analysts say Kim's warning shows he is not open to dialogue with Seoul's new government.
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha University in Seoul, said Kim's comments show no interest in engaging with the incoming Yoon administration in South Korea or restarting denuclearize talks with the United States.