U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says North Korea "has no friends left" that will protect it from international punishments for its nuclear activities.
Clinton told Asia's largest security forum in Thailand Thursday the international community is united in its efforts to force North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
Clinton said the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and South Korea are still ready to offer economic and diplomatic incentives if Pyongyang commits to an "irreversible" path towards denuclearization.
But North Korean spokesman Ri Hung Sik dismissed the incentives as nonsense and declared the six-party disarmament talks "dead."
He also blamed Washington for what he called a "hostile" policy against Pyongyang.
North Korea's official news agency also personally attacked Clinton on Thursday, describing her as unintelligent and "a funny lady."
The description was in response to Clinton's comments earlier this week, when she compared North Korea's recent missile launches and nuclear test to the behavior of an unruly, attention-seeking child.
Clinton was in Thailand for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Regional Forum, which assembled envoys from 26 countries on Phuket island.
At the forum, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said the six-party talks on North Korea's weapons program should not be ruled out entirely. He said despite the difficulties, major progress has been made.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
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