North Korea has denounced Washington's refusal to allow the visit of a religious and academic delegation as a part of hostile U.S. policy towards the Stalinist country.

A spokesperson for the North's association of Korean religious leaders issued a statement Friday seeking a formal apology for the refusal.

The spokesman said North Korean representatives had decided to visit the U.S. after repeated requests from American religious circles, and had received visas from the U.S. State Department in April and finished all necessary entry procedures.

However, he claimed Washington had rejected their visit just a few days before the scheduled trip without giving any valid reasons.

He said the event was a clear demonstratin of the serious degree of U.S. hostility towards North Korea, and demanded a complete withdrawal of hostile policy for the sake of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.