A North Korean senior official criticised the United States for blocking a UN resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, claiming the veto showed Washington’s “double standards”, North Korean state media KCNA said.

“The United States’ abuse of its veto power to protect an ally that massacred tens of thousands of civilians is not only a manifestation of illegal and unreasonable double standards but also the height of inhumane evil,” Kim Son Gyong, North Korea’s vice foreign minister for international organisations, said via KCNA.

According to AFP, Kim argued the United States was contradicting itself by condoning continued fighting in Gaza while condemning North Korea’s recent satellite launch that caused no harm to any other country.

The national security advisers of the US, South Korea and Japan met on Saturday to reaffirm their coordinated response to North Korea’s threats, as North Korea warned it would deploy more spy satellites.