North Korea’s top diplomat on Friday called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo a “poisonous plant of American diplomacy” for promoting sanctions that could hinder denuclearisation talks with the United States.

The remarks were made just two days after senior US diplomat Stephen Biegun said the US was ready to resume talks with North Korea.

Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho also warned that his country will try to remain “America’s biggest threat” if the US sanctions continue, according to a statement carried by the KCNA news agency.

The rebuke follows a recent interview Pomeo had with the Washington Examiner where he discussed denuclearisation talks with the paper.

Pompeo said the US will “continue to keep on the sanctions that are the toughest in all of history and continue to work towards convincing Chairman Kim and the North Korean leaders that the right thing to do is for them to denuclearize.”

Yong Ho was present in February at the failed US-North Korea Hanoi summit in Vietnam. Since then he’s demanded that Pompeo be replaced with a “more mature” person.

The North Korean official has taken issue with Pompeo’s assertion that US sanctions will remain intact until North Korea takes concrete action on denuclearisation.

“He is truly impudent enough to utter such thoughtless words which only leave us disappointed and skeptical as to whether we can solve any problem with such a guy,” Ri said of Pompeo in the statement.

Talks between the two countries have stalled since President Trump’s historic border meeting and handshake with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Since the meeting, North Korea has test-fired several rounds of missiles over the ocean.

With Post wires