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.

“It is really preposterous to hear the balderdash of south Korean authorities-who do