North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un
North Korea on Sunday slammed the latest UN
sanctions as “ mean ” and vowed to press ahead
with its missile and nuclear weapons
programmes.
The UN Security Council on Friday
unanimously adopted a US – drafted resolution
imposing new targeted sanctions on a handful
of North Korean officials and entities , in
response to a series of ballistic missile tests this
year that are banned under UN resolutions .
The resolution put North Korea ’ s suspected spy
chief , 13 other Pyongyang officials and four
entities on a sanctions blacklist , hitting them
with a global travel ban and an assets freeze .
The North ’ s foreign ministry “ condemns and
outrightly rejects the sanctions racket put forth
by the United States and the UN Security
Council to prevent the strengthening of our
nuclear deterrence ” , a ministry spokesman
said .
“(Washington ) talked about the possibility of
dialogue but it is nonsense to mention dialogue
while laying out unfair preconditions and
applying maximum pressure, ” the spokesman
said in a statement carried by the official KCNA
news agency.
The statement said the latest resolution was
said to have been put together by the US and
China in the “ back room” .
It was Washington ’ s “ ultimate double
standard ” to ban other countries from nuclear
or missile tests amid its own attempts to
modernise the US arsenal .
The US military said last Tuesday that it
“ successfully intercepted an intercontinental
ballistic missile target ” in a test conducted amid
concerns over the North ’ s weapons program .
Concern over the North ’ s weapons programme
intensified after North Korea test – fired yet
another ballistic missile last week , the latest in
a series of launches in its quest to develop
weapons capable of hitting the United States .
It was the third missile test by the nuclear –
armed regime in less than three weeks .
The North says it needs nuclear weapons to
forestall the threat of US attack .
It was “ a fatal miscalculation” for the countries
behind the sanctions resolution to think they
could delay the North ’ s nuclear forces , the
statement said .
“ They would squarely see that their mean and
indiscreet act would go in just opposite
direction to what they want for . ”
