SEOUL - A foreign ministry spokesperson of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has condemned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for calling the country a "rogue state," saying the remarks showed no change in the US hostile policy toward the DPRK, the DPRK's state media reported on Monday.

In a release published on Sunday and carried by the official Korean Central News Agency, the spokesperson expressed the DPRK's strong denunciation of and opposition to the hostile remarks made by Rubio, calling it a grave political provocation completely contrary to the principle of international law of respecting each other's sovereignty and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

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Rubio's remarks reaffirmed the US hostile policy toward the DPRK and indicated the new US administration's wrong attitude toward the country, according to the release.

The foreign ministry spokesperson said the DPRK will not tolerate any US provocations and will take tough counteractions accordingly, as always.