After US President Joe Biden in his first congressional address last week termed Pyongyang's nuclear programme as a "serious threat" to Washington, North Korea has warned the US of 'worse crisis beyond control'.
Kwon Jong-gun, Director General of the Department of US Affairs of the Foreign Ministry said that President Joe Biden made a "big blunder" in his first congressional address last week to work with allies to address "serious threats" from the North and Iran through diplomacy and stern deterrence, reported Yonhap News Agency.
"It is certain that the US chief executive made a big blunder in the light of the present-day viewpoint," Kwon said. "Now that what the keynote of the US new DPRK policy has become clear, we will be compelled to press for corresponding measures, and with time the US."
DPRK stands for the North's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Pyongyang accused the US of smearing its nationwide anti-epidemic measures as "human rights abuses" and insulting the dignity of the "supreme leadership in its grave politically-motivated provocation", reported Yonhap News Agency.
"This becomes an evident sign that it is girding itself up for an all-out showdown with the DPRK, and this is also a clear answer to how we should approach the new administration in the US," it said.
The official also said that the US "will face worse and worse crisis beyond control in the near future if it is set to approach the DPRK-US ties, still holding on the outdated policy from Cold War-minded perspective and viewpoint."
"Diplomacy" and "stern deterrence," which Biden pleged to use to address threats from the North, are "a spurious signboard for covering up its hostile acts" and "a means for posing nuclear threats" to the North, respectively, the official said.
The North Korea Foreign Ministry issued the statement after US State Department Spokesman Ned Price released a statement last week on the occasion of North Korea Freedom Week, calling the North "one of the most repressive and totalitarian states in the world", reported Yonhap News Agency.
Price also argued North Korea was tightening its border control under the pretext of fending off the COVID-19 pandemic, but in reality, to prevent more people from defecting the country.
Meanwhile, DPRK warned that the US will "surely and certainly regret for acting lightly, defying our warnings."
( With inputs from ANI )
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