SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it won't surrender to U.S.-led sanctions and accuses Washington of trying to "bring us to our knees."

Wednesday's statement is yet another reminder that North Korea keeps mistrust of the U.S. though its leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump recently exchanged letters.

Their second summit in Hanoi in February ended without any agreement on how to end the North Korean nuclear crisis.

The North's Foreign Ministry says it "will not hesitate to pull a muscle-flexing trigger in order to defend ourselves" if anyone dares to trample over its sovereignty.

It accuses the U.S. of maintaining hostility toward North Korea. It cites recent U.S. reports on alleged human trafficking and religious crackdowns in North Korea.

The statement was carried by the Korean Central News Agency.