(VOVworld) - North Korea pledged Saturday to strengthen its nuclear deterrence, the latest in a series of warnings against South Korea and the United States over their annual military drills.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un visited a military unit on March 1st. (Photo: YONHAP/VNA)

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) cited a spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry as saying that the North Korean army and people will bolster the deterrence for self-defense focusing on the strategic nuclear force in order to put an end to the threats of a nuclear war from the US. He said North Korea will retaliate any provocation.

Earlier, South Korea and the US began their two-month Foal Eagle military exercise that involves the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier and the US Air Force's F-35B fighter. The drill is set to run until the end of April.