North Korea Criticizes Foreign Minister Rubio And Is Ready To Respond To US Provokers

Illustration of North Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/Roman Harak)

JAKARTA - North Korea on Monday criticized US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for calling them "bad countries" in media interviews, saying the comments did not help Washington's interests, state media reported KCNA.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry said the country would respond to a hostile US provocation firmly, KCNA reported as reported by Reuters on February 3.

This is North Korea's first criticism of the Trump administration since President Donald Trump returned to the White House on January 20, Yonhap news agency said.

Furthermore, the ministry also condemned the United States' new missile defense shield plan, saying it required North Korea to strengthen its own military force, KCNA reported.

US President Donald Trump last week signed an executive order "requiring a process to develop the next-generation 'American Iron Dome'" US missile defense shield against ballistic, hypersonic, cruise, and other forms of airstrikes.

"The idea of a new missile defense system, which reminds us of the dangerous 'Star Wars' plan during the Cold War, poses a risk of justifying the arms race under the pretext of facing enemy 'threats', regardless of its feasibility," North Korea's Foreign Ministry said, according to KCNA.

"The increasingly violent global security environment urges us to continue to develop self-defense capabilities based on nuclear prevention," the ministry added.