A top North Korean diplomat on Saturday urged South Korea to stop what it described as "nonsensical" talk about efforts towards the country's denuclearization, in a statement urging Seoul not to meddle in the country's relations with the U.S.

The comments by Kwon Jong Gun -- who heads the DPRK foreign ministry's North America Department -- came in response to remarks by a South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official on Friday, in which they called for continued efforts towards denuclearization and peace on the peninsula.