On Thursday, North Korea fired two projectiles toward the Sea of Japan which it described as new tactical guided missiles. On Sunday, Pyongyang also launched two cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea.
"The recent testfire of new-type tactical guided missiles was an act tantamount to the exercise of the full-fledged right of a sovereign state for self-defence as it was a process that had been undertaken to implement the goals of the policy on national defence science set forth by our Party and government to boost the defence capabilities of the country," Ri, who serves as the secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, said, as quoted by the KCNA news agency.
The official added that North Korea had to boost its defence over the military threat posed by the United States and South Korea that are conducting "dangerous war exercises and introducing advanced weapons."
The United States condemned the recent launches, with President Joe Biden saying Thursday that they were against UN Resolution 1718. Biden added that the United States was discussing the situation with its allies and pledged to "respond accordingly" in case of further escalation.
Ri slammed this criticism of Pyongyang's actions and called it "thoughtless remarks."
"Such remarks from the U.S. president are an undisguised encroachment on our state's right to self-defence and provocation to it ... I think that the new U.S. administration obviously took its first step wrong," Ri said as quoted by South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
The United States might face "something that is not good," if it continues to use such rhetoric, North Korean official added.
