North Korea’s foreign ministry condemned new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for calling the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) a “rogue state,” the Korean Central News Agency, vowing that the country will respond strongly to hostile US provocations.
In a statement, the foreign ministry deemed the US State Secretary’s hostile remarks to thoughtlessly tarnish the image of a sovereign state as a grave political provocation totally contrary to the principle of international law which regards respect for sovereignty and non-interference in other’s internal affairs as its core and strongly denounces and rejects it.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry said: “In view of Rubio’s political inclination and the US inveterate repugnancy towards the DPRK, his speech is nothing new, and it would be more surprising if he had said good word about the DPRK.
“Given Rubio’s political tendencies and America’s inherent aversion to anti-North Korea sentiments, his remarks are not new, and in some ways, it would have been more surprising if he had said something nice about us.”
It mocked the American statements, saying: “It is absurd that the most depraved country in the world is not entitled to take issue with other countries.”
It viewed the “hostile words and actions by the U.S. foreign policy official as yet another manifestation of America’s hostile policy toward North Korea which remains unchanged.
It added: “Rubio’s coarse and nonsensical remarks only show directly the incorrect view of the new US administration on the DPRK and will never help promote the US interests as he wishes.”
Pyongyang affirmed that it will never tolerate any provocation of the US, which has been always hostile to the DPRK and will be hostile to it in the future, too, but will take tough counteraction corresponding to it as usual.
