North Korea doesn’t take too kindly to Washington criticizing its human rights record — and on Saturday warned the US would “pay dearly” for its “malicious words.”

The hermit kingdom’s vague warning was issued by its foreign ministry spokesperson and published by the state-run news agency KCNA, Reuters reported.

It came in apparent response to the US voting on Wednesday in favor of a United Nations General Assembly resolution denouncing North Korea’s “long-standing and ongoing” human rights violations.