Earlier in the week, North Korean state-run news agency KCNA reported, citing Choe Ryong Hae, the chairman of the Standing Committee of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, that North Korea develops nuclear weapons to guarantee the country's rights to existence and development, deter war and protect peace and stability in the region.
"The international community clearly bans North Korea's nuclear and missile development and provocations ... Regardless of North Korea's actions and claims, its possession of nuclear weapons will never be recognized, and the sanctions of the international community will further deepen," the South Korean ministry was quoted by news agency Yonhap as saying in a statement.
Since North Korea's first nuclear test in 2006, the UN Security Council has passed a number of resolutions imposing sanctions against Pyongyang over the development of its nuclear program. The restrictive measures include an embargo on arms supplies to the country, bans or limits on North Korea's exports of coal, oil, rare earth materials, as well as sanctions on the financial sector.