SEOUL, South Korea — In its first direct criticism of the Trump administration, North Korea lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for calling it a “rogue” state and warned Monday that such “coarse and nonsensical remarks” will never contribute to U.S. interests.
The statement is the latest in a series of North Korean signals that it will maintain its tough stance on the U.S. for now, though 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 U.S. foreign policy served as an occasion of confirming once again the U.S. 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 U.S. administration on the DPRK and will never help promote the U.S. interests as he wishes,” it said.
The statement took issue with what the ministry called Rubio’s branding of North Korea as a “rogue” state in a media interview. It likely referred to Rubio’s appearance on “The Megyn Kelly Show” on Jan. 30, in which he called North Korea and Iran “rogue states” as he addressed foreign policy challenges.
It was not the first time for U.S. officials to describe North Korea as a rogue state. But the North’s latest statement suggests the country won’t likely quickly embrace Trump’s overture.
During a Fox News interview broadcast on Jan. 23, Trump called Kim “a smart guy” and “not a religious zealot.” Asked whether he will reach out to Kim again, Trump replied, “I will, yeah.”
Trump’s comments raised prospects for a possible revival of diplomacy between the United States and North Korea, as Trump met 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 U.S.-led sanctions on North Korea, but Trump has still repeatedly boasted of his personal ties with Kim.
North Korea hasn’t directly responded to Trump’s interview comments. But it has maintained its confrontational rhetoric against the U.S. and continued its weapons testing activities. Last week, 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 U.S. and South Korea.
Many experts say 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 Trump likely gave 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.
Kim has since then focused on perfecting nuclear-capable missiles targeting the U.S. and South Korea.
Last November, 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, Kim vowed to implement the “toughest” anti-U.S. policy.