The South Korean and U.S. Air Forces conduct the 'Sangmae' squadron-level combined aerial exercise at the Air Force's Wonju Base, Jan. 22. Yonhap

North Korea warned Saturday it will mobilize "strategic means" against what it called strategic threats from the United States and other adversaries, in response to a joint military exercise between South Korea and the U.S. involving a U.S. strategic bomber.

The chief of the press office at North Korea's defense ministry issued a statement after Seoul and Washington staged combined air drills, involving at least one B-1B bomber, Thursday, for the first time since the launch of the Trump administration.

"The DPRK will counter the strategic threat of the U.S. and other enemies with strategic means and continue its responsible military activities to control and manage the unstable security environment on the Korean Peninsula with powerful deterrence," the official was quoted as saying by the Korean Central News Agency.

DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea claimed that since the Trump administration took office last month, the U.S. has been intensifying its military provocations threatening the security of the North.

North Korea's rapid and accelerating move to bolster its nuclear force is a "realistic requirement for coping with the military threat from the U.S. and its satellite countries which are getting more rampant recently," the official argued.

North Korea has long denounced joint military exercises between South Korea and the U.S. as a rehearsal for invasion though the allies said such drills are defensive in nature. The North has used Seoul-Washington's military drills as a pretext for provocations. (Yonhap)