The DPRK says it will continue to develop nuclear weapons technology in response to “pressure from hostile forces.” 

The statement came from the Disarmament and Peace Institute under the Foreign Ministry Thursday, as reported by DPRK state news agency KCNA.

It follows a threat of tougher sanctions on the DPRK from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a G7 foreign ministerial meeting in Japan.

A DPRK spokesman accused the U.S. of outwardly talking about building a “world without nuclear weapons,” while spending a huge amount of funds on modernizing its own nuclear arsenal. The spokesman also denounced the joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea.