▲ This file photo, taken June 30, 2019, shows U.S. President Donald Trump (R) shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a meeting at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Monday denounced the United States for maintaining what it called a "hostile" policy and vowed to respond with the "toughest" countermeasures.

A spokesperson at North Korea's foreign ministry made the criticism, slamming Washington for pursuing "hostile" measures under the banner of denuclearization and human rights.

"It is pointless to expect any detente in the region, given the grave situation where the U.S. persistent hostile policy toward the DPRK is evolving in a more dangerous way," the official said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

DPRK is North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly reached out to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in recent weeks, expressing hope to meet him later this year.

"There is no change in our policy toward the U.S. to respond to its invariable hostile policy with the toughest stand to the last," the statement said.

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