The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday condemned U.S. arms sales to the Korean Peninsula and the Northeast Asian region, calling them "a challenge to regional security," the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

The commentary referred to a recent approval by the U.S. State Department for the sale of maritime operation helicopters and helicopter parts to South Korea worth more than 4 billion U.S. dollars.

Citing a spokesperson for the DPRK Foreign Ministry, it said the massive U.S. arms exports to countries and regions such as South Korea and Japan constitute a cause of ever-escalating military tensions in the Asia-Pacific and foreshadow gloomy prospects for the region.

The DPRK will strongly deter all security threats by modernizing its defense capabilities and ensuring full combat readiness. It will safeguard its national sovereignty and security as well as regional peace, the commentary added.