North Korea bashed a visit to China by South Korea’s foreign minister this week as a bid to conspire with foreign powers against Pyongyang after the ROK official raised concerns about the DPRK’s arms sales to Russia and other activities.

In a statement released Thursday, the DPRK’s foreign ministry accused Cho Tae-yul of attempting to tarnish the country’s image by telling his Chinese counterpart that North Korea is escalating tensions “through bellicose rhetoric and various provocations.”