Pyongyang Condemns New Sanctions as Act of War

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) says the latest round of sanctions imposed by the United Nations (UN) against Pyongyang constitutes an “act of war” against the country.

The UN Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on DPRK on Friday over Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons development program. The new sanctions restrict fuel exports to the country and demand the repatriation of North Koreans working aboard, mostly in China and Russia, according to Press TV.

The DPRK’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the sanctions were tantamount to a complete economic blockade, threatening that those who supported the measure would be held “completely responsible.”

“Those countries that raised their hands in favor of this ‘sanctions resolution’ shall be held completely responsible for all the consequences to be caused by the ‘resolution’ and we will make sure, for ‘ever and ever,’ that they pay a heavy price for what they have done,” it said.

 In its statement, the Foreign Ministry said the US was to blame for the sanctions.

“We define this ‘sanctions resolution’ rigged up by the US and its followers as a grave infringement upon the sovereignty of our Republic, as an act of war violating peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the region and categorically reject the ‘resolution,’” the ministry said, referring to the sanctions resolution.

Pyongyang has repeatedly defended its weapons program as being defensive in nature and a deterrent against potential hostility by foreign powers.

“We will further consolidate our self-defensive nuclear deterrence aimed at fundamentally eradicating the US nuclear threats, blackmail and hostile moves by establishing the practical balance of force with the US,” the ministry said.

The DPRK on November 29 said it had successfully tested a new missile that put the US mainland within range of its nuclear weapons. That same month, Pyongyang also demanded a halt to what the “brutal” sanctions, saying a round imposed after its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3 constituted genocide.

H.M