PYONGYANG, Dec. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday vowed to boost its defence capability --including a nuclear deterrent -- to cope with Washington's criticism of its human rights record.

    The DPRK "will increase its self-reliant national defense capacity including nuclear deterrent, pursuant to the Songun (military-first) policy, to cope with the US escalated policy to isolate and stifle it with the nuclear issue and the 'human rights issue' as pretexts," its Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

    The statement followed a UN General Assembly resolution on Nov. 17 expressing strong concern over DPRK's human rights. The US envoy for human rights in the DPRK visited South Korea this month for a US-supported conference on the issue.

    It said the US's rhetoric about "protection of human rights" amounted to interfering with the internal affairs of anti-US countries and other countries with which it was displeased.

    "The US is a typical criminal state which politicizes the humanrights issue and applies double standards concerning the issue," it added. Enditem