North Korea reacted angrily to criticism from the United States over its human rights record, saying America would "pay dearly" for its "malicious words".

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday condemned North Korea’s "long-standing and ongoing" violations of human rights in an annual resolution, sponsored by dozens of countries including the US, that Pyongyang’s UN envoy rejected.

KCNA, North Korea's state news agency, said on Friday that comments from the US would only aggravate tensions on the Korean peninsula.

In a statement attributed to a foreign ministry spokesperson, North Korea on Friday warned that if the US dared to take issue with the North’s system of government by citing human rights problems, it would "pay dearly".

The North Korean Foreign Ministry statement is its first since Stephen Biegun, the US special envoy for North Korea, publicly urged Pyongyang on Monday to return to talks. There has been no direct response from North Korea to Biegun’s request.

North Korea has conducted a series of weapons tests in recent weeks and analysts have said that the secretive state may be preparing for an intercontinental ballistic missile test that could put it back on a path of confrontation with the US.