North Korea's foreign ministry said Saturday that its nuclear weapons development is the inevitable result of a country trying to protect itself from threats posed by the United States.

In a foreign ministry spokesman's statement, the communist country said efforts by Washington to bring forth human rights and nuclear proliferation can only be seen as a ploy to subvert and topple the country.

It said under such circumstances, Pyongyang is left with no choice other than to take necessary safeguard measures.

The statement then said recent comments by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as well as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel's stance on human rights only supported Pyongyang's suspicions of ulterior motives.

The ministry then concluded that the decision to acquire nuclear weapons is the result of more than half a century of U.S. hostility, and the country's resolve on this issue will not change because of recent actions taken by Washington. (Yonhap)