(MENAFN) North Korea harshly condemned the recent summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, labeling it “a diplomatic farce created by Seoul's anxiety to alleviate Washington's 'misunderstanding,’” according to state media reports.

A North Korean news agency released the scathing commentary Monday, shortly after the weekend meeting.

At the summit, the two leaders emphasized boosting bilateral and trilateral cooperation with the United States to ensure peace and stability in the region.

The talks occurred just before Lee’s scheduled meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, South Korean media reported.

The news agency stated, “It would be right to say that the recent ROK-Japan summit was a diplomatic show caused by the uneasiness of Seoul, which aims to remove the misunderstanding of Washington.”

North Korea further accused Lee of adopting a “pro-Japanese attitude” to dispel suspicions from “his master” and prevent any diplomatic fallout during his Trump talks.

According to the report, Lee’s effort to demonstrate his “pro-Japanese creed” will “further worsen the security crisis in the region.”

The statement also charged Lee with “using peace and security on the Korean peninsula and in the region as a bargaining chip” and accused him of “acting as a scout for realizing the aggressive US-Japan-ROK triangular military cooperation.”

(ROK refers to the Republic of Korea, South Korea’s official name.)

Pyongyang vowed it will never be a “passive onlooker to the worrying situation being created by the US and its followers seeking hegemony.”

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