North Korea said Friday that it remained steadfast in its refusal to engage with the current South Korean government, dismissing the prospect of a shift in relations with Seoul after a dynastic succession in Pyongyang.

"We solemnly declare with confidence that the South Korean puppets and foolish politicians around the world should not expect any change" from North Korea, the country's National Defense Commission said in a statement reported by Pyongyang's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The statement came after two days of elaborate ceremonies in Pyongyang that honored Kim Jong Il, who died earlier this month, and underlined the rise of his son and chosen successor, Kim Jong Un, to the position of "supreme leader" of the secretive state.