Rice, who is on her first official tour of Asia -- much of it dedicated to trying to break a deadlock on the nuclear issue and draw the Stalinist regime back to multi-party talks -- refused to be back down over the name-calling.

"The North Koreans are determined to change the subject from what North Korea is doing, and we are not going to let them change the subject," Rice said in an interview with US television network ABC in Islamabad.

The reclusive regime said Wednesday it would not engage in fresh talks with the United States on its nuclear ambitions and lashed out at Rice, currently on a six-nation tour of Asia.

A foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement published by the North's official Korean Central News Agency that talks were inconceivable until Pyongyang was "delisted as 'an outpost of tyranny'."

Asked about the issue, Rice told reporters in the Pakistani capital: "I am not going to get into a debate on semantics with the North Koreans."

"Everybody knows what life looks like in North Korea and everybody knows what kind of system rules in North Korea and so as I said, I'm not going to let the North Koreans change the subject," she added.

Rice reiterated the well-trodden US position that multi-party negotiations were the only way to break the impasse.

"The North Koreans need to return to the six-party talks, it's the only way that they can find a way to enter the international community of states," Rice said.

"It's the only way... to get out of the terrible situation in which the North Korean people find themselves, where we talk every year about problems of starvation and malnutrition in North Korea."

"There is a lot at stake here for the North Koreans and they really should come back to the talks and stop trying to change the subject."

Rice has repeatedly refused to back down from her criticism of North Korea, which has visibly infuriated Pyongyang. During a stop-off in India Tuesday, Rice warned North Korea it was becoming increasingly isolated.

North Korea has attacked her personally over the "outpost of tyranny" comments, with its spokesman urging Washington to "behave realistically and wisely if it wishes to resume the six-party talks."

He said North Korea would not deal with "such woman bereft of any political logic... Her reckless remarks showed to the world what type of a woman she is," the spokesman said.

"It is quite illogical for the US to intend to negotiate with the DPRK without retracting its remarks," he added.

Since abandoning talks last month, North Korea has since sent mixed signals on its willingness to return to the negotiations, with leader Kim Jong-Il saying Pyongyang would resume dialogue if "conditions" are met.

The two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan have met three times to try to resolve the nuclear standoff that erupted in 2002 when the United States accused the North of operating a secret uranium-enrichment programme.

The talks made little progress, with the final round held in June 2004. North Korea boycotted a fourth round scheduled for September last year.

Washington believes North Korea possesses one or two crude bombs and may have reprocessed enough plutonium from spent fuel rods at its Yongbyon nuclear complex for half a dozen more.

Rice was due to leave Pakistan later Thursday for Japan, before heading to South Korea and China, where the North Korean nuclear standoff will be at the top of the agenda.

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