North Korea has lashed out at US secretary of state Marco Rubio for calling it a “rogue” state and warned Monday that such “coarse and nonsensical remarks” will never contribute to US interests, in first direct criticism of the Trump administration.
The statement is the latest in a series of North Korean signals that it will maintain its tough stance on the US for now, though Mr Trump has said he’s intent on reaching out to its leader Kim Jong Un to revive diplomacy.
“The hostile words and deeds of the person who is in charge of the US foreign policy served as an occasion of confirming once again the US hostile policy toward the DPRK which remains unchanged,” the Foreign Ministry said, using the acronym of the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“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,” it said.
The statement took issue with what the ministry called Mr Rubio’s branding of North Korea as a “rogue” state in a media interview. It likely referred to Mr Rubio’s appearance on “The Megyn Kelly Show” on 30 January, in which he called North Korea and Iran “rogue states” as he addressed foreign policy challenges.
It was not the first time for US officials to describe North Korea as a rogue state. But the North’s latest statement suggests the country won’t likely quickly embrace Mr Trump’s overture.
During a Fox News interview broadcast on 23 January, Mr Trump called Kim “a smart guy” and “not a religious zealot.” Asked whether he will reach out to Mr Kim again, Mr Trump replied, “I will, yeah.”
Mr Trump’s comments raised prospects for a possible revival of diplomacy between the United States and North Korea, as Mr Trump met Mr Kim three times during his first term to discuss how to end Kim’s nuclear program. Their earlier high-stakes diplomacy in 2018-19 broke down due to disputes over US-led sanctions on North Korea, but Mr Trump has still repeatedly boasted of his personal ties with Mr Kim.
North Korea hasn’t directly responded to Mr Trump’s interview comments. But it has maintained its confrontational rhetoric against the US and continued its weapons testing activities. Last week, Mr Kim visited a facility to produce nuclear materials and called for boosting North Korea’s nuclear capability in the face of what he called challenges posed by “hostile forces,” an apparent reference to the US and South Korea.
Many experts say Mr Kim likely thinks he now has greater leverage than before because of his expanded nuclear arsenal and deepening military ties with Russia.
The previous diplomacy with Mr Trump likely gave Mr Kim a propaganda coup for winning the much-needed recognition of his government on the world stage. But the eventual collapse of diplomacy was still a huge embarrassment.
Mr Kim has since then focused on perfecting nuclear-capable missiles targeting the US and South Korea.
Last November, Mr Kim said that his past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington’s “unchangeable” hostility toward his country and described his nuclear buildup as the only way to counter external threats. During a key political meeting in December, Mr Kim vowed to implement the “toughest” anti-US policy.