PYONGYANG, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Friday reaffirmed its determination to develop its nuclear and missile capabilities as a means to deter the United States, in parallel with possible rapprochement with South Korea.

The DPRK official daily Rodong Sinmun said in an article that the nuclear force of the DPRK is "the powerful treasured sword for defending peace" as it can decisively tackle the nuclear threats from the United States.

"Concession to the imperialists and asking them for aid is a foolish act of inviting self-destruction as their nature is aggression and plunder," said the official daily of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

The article also rejected the accusation made by the United States that the nuclear force of the DPRK as a "threat to world peace and security."

"This is nothing but a miserable scream made by those, who have a premonition of their destruction. It goes to prove that our nuclear force becomes the means meting out a horrible punishment to the aggressors," it said.

South Korea said earlier this week that future talks with the DPRK would focus on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, after Pyongyang and Seoul have embarked on an apparent rapprochement with the PyeongChang Winter Olympics over the past month.