North Korea denounced U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday for calling it a "rogue state" and threatened a strong counteraction in the regime's first public criticism of the Trump administration.

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.

North Korea on Monday criticised U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio for calling it a "rogue state", saying his comments do not help U.S. interests, state media KCNA said. North Korea's foreign ministry said the country will respond strongly to hostile U.