"The military alliance of the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea, which is exposing hostile designs against North Korea and its neighboring countries, as well as NATO, the instigator of the Ukraine crisis, are cancerous tumors endangering the international order and posing a serious threat to world peace and security," the North Korean Central News Agency quoted the diplomat as saying.

The senior diplomat also pointed out that the US, which is focused on uniting with allies to maintain its own hegemony, has no right to accuse independent states of trying to unite to counter the imperialist threat.

Im Chon Il added that it is the US-led alliances that pose a constant threat to the security of the independent states by displaying an "aggressive and chauvinistic nature" that poses the danger.

The US, Japan and South Korea have recently stepped up trilateral cooperation, especially on issues related to North Korea. In late August, a trilateral summit was held between US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at the US leader's country retreat at Camp David, Maryland, near Washington. The North Korean leaders were one of the main topics on the agenda of the meeting.

MNA/PR