TOKYO, May 20. /TASS/. The US subcritical nuclear test, carried out at the proving ground in Nevada, leads to an escalation of the global nuclear arms race, and Pyongyang is forced to take necessary measures in this regard, the North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, according to KCNA.

According to the statement, the nuclear test "creates a new tension in the military standoff between nuclear powers and accelerates the global nuclear arms race."

"This nuclear test must be prevented from affecting the military security situation in the Korean Peninsula region at all costs. In order to get ready for a strategic instability that emerges in the region and at the global scale due to the US’s unilateral action, we are forced to take necessary measures on increasing the overall readiness for nuclear deterrence within the framework of our sovereign law and potential choices," the spokesperson said.