The U.S. State Department said on Saturday that Washington is ready to hold talks with Pyongyang after North Korea said that hopes for talks are fading, criticizing United States’ top diplomat.

In response to an inquiry by a South Korean media outlet on Pyongyang's latest criticism, a State Department official said that Washington is prepared to engage in negotiations as soon as they hear from their counterparts in North Korea.

The North's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui warned the United States on Saturday not to test Pyongyang's patience, criticizing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's description of the North's behavior as "rogue" in his recent speech.

Choe also said the North could "reexamine all the measures it has taken so far," an apparent warning that denuclearization measures could be rolled back.

Last week, Pompeo said in a speech to American veterans that the North's "rogue behavior" could not be ignored and that the United States has galvanized global support to denuclearize North Korea.