North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, inspects a nuclear material production base in this photo, provided by the Korean Central News Agency, Jan. 29. Yonhap

North Korea on Monday criticized the Trump administration's plan to enhance missile defense for allied territories, vowing to advance its nuclear deterrence and other military capabilities in self-defense.

The North Korean foreign ministry's Institute for Disarmament and Peace issued the criticism in a press statement following President Donald Trump' executive order last week to pursue a "next-generation" missile defense shield for the U.S. and allied territories.

The plan signaled a potential acceleration of the U.S. missile defense modernization in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to nuclear powers, the institute claimed in the statement reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

It also claimed that the U.S. would evidently accelerate its joint development of a system to intercept hypersonic missiles with Japan and other allies while deploying more high-tech defense systems in South Korea, such as the terminal high altitude area defense (THAAD).

The institute accused the U.S. of accelerating its pursuit of military hegemony, saying it warrants North Korea's continued development of its self-defense capabilities anchored in nuclear deterrence.

North Korea "will respond by limitlessly bolstering its military capabilities in response to accelerating military threats from hostile forces," it said. (Yonhap)