Seoul: North Korea denounced US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday as the "worst destroyer of international peace and stability," accusing her of inciting anti-North Korean sentiment and provoking China during her Asian tour earlier this week.
Pelosi's visit to South Korea followed her visit to Taiwan, prompting China to launch military exercises, including missile strike training in waters near the self-ruled island. China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory, which it will annexe by force if necessary.
Pelosi visited a border area with North Korea and discussed the North's nuclear programme with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin Pyo while in South Korea.
According to Kim, the two agreed to support their governments' efforts for denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula through strong, long-term deterrence of the North and diplomacy.
Jo Yong Sam, director general of the North Korean Foreign Ministry's press and information affairs department, slammed Pelosi for her border visit and discussion of anti-North Korean deterrence on Saturday.
"Pelosi, who had received due criticism from China for destroying regional peace and stability by visiting Taiwan, created a hostile atmosphere" with North Korea during her visit to South Korea, Jo said in a statement carried by state media.
Jo argued that Pelosi's behaviour in South Korea clearly demonstrated the Biden administration's hostile policy toward North Korea, labelling her "the worst destroyer of international peace and stability."
"It would be a fatal mistake for her to believe she can get away with anything in the Korean Peninsula," Jo warned. "The United States will have to pay dearly for all the sources of trouble she spawned wherever she went."
Pelosi's visit to the Korean border on Thursday marked the highest-profile American visit there since then-President Donald Trump's visit in 2019 for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The area is jointly controlled by the American-led United Nations Command and North Korea, and is located inside the world's most heavily fortified border.
Presidents and other top officials from the United States have previously visited the region to reaffirm their security commitment to South Korea during times of hostility with North Korea.
Pelosi made no strong public statements against North Korea during her JSA visit. She tweeted several photos from the JSA, writing, "We conveyed the Congress and the Country's gratitude for the patriotic service of our servicemembers, who stand as sentinels of Democracy on the Korean Peninsula."
In a separate statement, Pelosi and South Korean Parliament Speaker Kim reaffirmed "our commitment to the US-Korea alliance to advance security, strengthen our supply chains, and increase trade and investments that benefit both our nations."
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain high in the aftermath of North Korea's barrage of missile tests earlier this year. North Korea, according to US and South Korean officials, is ready to conduct its first nuclear weapons test in five years.
North Korea has stated that it will not return to denuclearization talks and will instead focus on expanding its nuclear programme unless the US abandons its hostile policies toward the North, an apparent reference to US-led international sanctions against the North and its regular military drills with South Korea.
Following Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, where she reaffirmed Washington's commitment to defending democracy on the self-governing island, North Korea issued a statement on Wednesday criticising the US and supporting China, its main ally and largest aid benefactor.
Pelosi is the first House speaker in 25 years to visit Taiwan.
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