‘Absurd and illogical’: North Korea slams US secretary of state Marco Rubio over 'rogue state' remark

North Korea has condemned US secretary of state Marco Rubio for calling it a “rogue state”, dismissing the remarks as “nonsense” and a “grave political provocation”, reported the news agency AFP.
In a statement carried by state news agency KCNA, a spokesperson for North Korea’s foreign ministry warned that the country would take “tough counteraction” against US provocations.
“We will never tolerate any provocation of the US… but will take tough counteraction corresponding to it as usual,” the ministry said.
The comments mark North Korea’s first public criticism of the new Trump administration since Donald Trump returned to the White House last month. In a recent interview, Rubio grouped North Korea and Iran as “rogue states” that the US must deal with in its foreign policy.
North Korea argued that Washington’s continued labelling of sovereign nations as “rogue states” is hostile and provocative. “It is absurd and illogical that the most depraved state in the world brands another country a rogue state,” a North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson said, as per Korean Times.
Despite Trump’s recent diplomatic overtures to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pyongyang has continued to stress its need for nuclear deterrence. Just last week, Kim visited a uranium enrichment facility, emphasising the country’s commitment to strengthening its “nuclear shield”.
Additionally, North Korea strongly opposed Washington’s new missile defence shield plan, which Trump authorised last week as part of an “American Iron Dome” project aimed at defending against ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile attacks, according to Reuters.
“The idea of a new missile defence system, which recalls the spectre of the dangerous ‘Star Wars’ plan of the Cold War, poses a risk of justifying an arms race,” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said.
While Trump has signalled a willingness to reengage with Kim, North Korea has not responded positively to his outreach. Instead, Pyongyang has focused on advancing its nuclear program, suggesting that relations between the two countries remain tense despite past summit diplomacy.