SEOUL — North Korea on Saturday blasted a recent joint statement adopted by South Korea and the European Union (EU) that condemned Pyongyang's military cooperation with Russia, saying it will continue to treat Seoul as "a hostile state."

In a press statement issued on the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the North Korean foreign ministry said South Korea is "an invariable enemy state obsessed with hostility and confrontation."

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and EU leaders adopted their joint statement on Wednesday during Lee's summit talks with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, held at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Yonhap news agency reported.

The South Korea-EU statement described the North-Russia military cooperation during the war in Ukraine as "illegal" and urged the two countries "to immediately cease all such activities and abide by the United Nations Charter and all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions." Lee and EU leaders also expressed "grave concerns" over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

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In response, the North Korean foreign ministry claimed the joint statement was "a clear infringement on the sovereignty of our state and a grave hostile act."

It also accused Lee of taking off "the bothersome mask of 'peace'" and called South Korea "the first enemy state."

"Whatever the Seoul rulers say and do, the DPRK will deem it a challenge and remain unchanged in its principle of confronting the enemy aimed to definitely treat the ROK as a hostile state," the North's ministry said. "It has already been highlighted at home and abroad that the ROK regards hostility and confrontation as its foundation and it cannot exist even a moment without them."