This file photo, provided by the foreign ministry, shows participants of the South Korea-U.S.-Japan Indo-Pacific Dialogue that took place in Tokyo, Dec. 11. Yonhap

North Korea lambasted a recent trilateral meeting between South Korea, the United States and Japan that discussed peace in the Indo-Pacific region, deriding the talks as an "insult" to peace Saturday.

The Rodong Sinmun, the North's state-owned newspaper, criticized the trilateral Indo-Pacific Dialogue that took place in Tokyo, Dec. 11, accusing Washington of being a "gangster-like" country destroying peace, and its Asian allies of being accomplices.

"The United States' history itself is one of war all around the world and its foreign policy is consistent with the evil of invading other countries and bringing destruction to peace and safety," it said.

The paper rejected Japan as a country that seeks peace, citing its guidelines for defense cooperation with the U.S. and its security law that allows collective self-defense. It also labeled South Korea as being the "vanguard of U.S. policies of invasion and war."

"The United States is an empire of evil and a gangster-like country destroying peace," it said. "Japan and puppet South Korea are accomplices no less guilty."

During this month's talks, the three countries acknowledged the need to explore ways to collectively contribute to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, according to Seoul's foreign ministry. The meeting marked the second of its kind after its inaugural session in January.

The talks took place as South Korea, the U.S. and Japan seek to deepen trilateral security cooperation amid evolving North Korean nuclear and missile threats. (Yonhap)