Pyongyang has denounced the United States for keeping North Korea on its list of countries that do not fully cooperate with counterterrorism efforts for the 29th consecutive year.

According to the Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Saturday, a spokesperson for the North’s foreign ministry called the U.S. designation a "political provocation" in a statement issued on Friday. 

The spokesperson said the U.S. should first address its hostile relationship with the North, which they claimed stems from Washington’s unilateral and erroneous actions.

They added that the U.S. designation is a malicious move that is both unnecessary and ineffective, and only serves to deepen what they called unwarranted hostility between their nations.

On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department officially designated North Korea, along with Cuba, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela, as nations “not fully cooperating" with U.S. counterterrorism efforts.

North Korea has remained on the list since 1997, and has also been listed as a state sponsor of terrorism by the U.S. since 2017.