North Korea on Saturday warned
Washington would only aggravate tensions and "pay dearly" for criticising
Pyongyang over human rights, with nuclear negotiations between the two deadlocked.
The international community has frequently condemned
North Korea for political repression, and for decades of prioritising its military and its
nuclear weapons programme over adequately providing for its people.
Criticising Pyongyang's human rights record would only aggravate the "already tense situation" on the Korean peninsula, "like pouring oil over burning fire", a North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).