WASHINGTON -- The United States steadfastly remains committed to engaging in dialogue with North Korea, a state department spokesperson said Monday, after Pyongyang denounced the agreement reached by the leaders of South Korea and the US on strengthening US extended deterrence commitment to South Korea.

The North has argued the Washington Declaration issued last week by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and US President Joe Biden reflected the US' "heinous hostile policy" toward North Korea while making "nuclear war" against North Korea a fact.

"The important thing to remember here is that President Biden and President Yoon expressed a shared vision of a strong and deeply integrated US-ROK alliance that maintains peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond," Vedant Patel, state department deputy spokesperson, said of the Washington Declaration, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea.

"The president (Biden) believes that the DPRK's efforts to advance its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, as well as its destabilizing and dangerous rhetoric, requires a series of prudent steps to strengthen deterrence. which we think are elaborated through the Washington Declaration," he added.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

On Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, argued the declaration reflected the "most hostile and aggressive will of action," warning that it will only make "peace and security of Northeast Asia and the world be exposed to more serious danger."

Patel pointed out that the leaders have also reaffirmed their commitment to engaging with North Korea.

"As the Washington Declaration so clearly states, both presidents -- President Biden and President Yoon -- remain steadfast in their pursuit of dialogue and diplomacy with the DPRK," he told a daily press briefing.

"We have a shared goal of complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," added Patel.

China, North Korea's closest ally, has also criticized the Washington Declaration, with its state media pointing to possible retaliation by China, Russia and North Korea against South Korea.

Patel said Beijing must not turn this into "something that is not" when asked about possible Chinese retaliation against South Korea.

"Our relationship and alliance with the ROK is deep-rooted. As you know we celebrated the 70th anniversary of relations with the Republic of Korea," he told the press briefing, referring to Yoon's state visit that ended on Saturday.

"So there's no reason for the PRC to overreact or to turn this into something that it is not," he added, referring to China by its formal name, the People's Republic of China. (Yonhap)