It is the first time that North Korean authorities have criticized a US Cabinet member by name since US President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term on Jan. 20, Kyodo News reported.
North Korea's Foreign Ministry deems the US secretary of state's remarks made during a recent interview "to thoughtlessly tarnish the image of a sovereign state as a grave political provocation," the official Korean Central News Agency said, citing a press statement by a spokesman dated Sunday.
"The hostile words and deeds of the person who is in charge of the US foreign policy served as an occasion of confirming once again the US hostile policy toward the DPRK which remains unchanged," the statement said.
DPRK is the acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
The statement also said Rubio's speech "is nothing new," in view of his "political inclination and the US inveterate repugnancy towards the DPRK," and "would be more surprising if he had said (a) good word about the DPRK."
"We will never tolerate any provocation of the US, which has been always hostile to the DPRK and will be hostile to it in the future, too, but will take tough counteraction corresponding to it as usual," it said.