N. Korea slams new UN sanctions as an ‘act of war’

SEOUL: North Korea slammed fresh UN sanctions imposed over its missile tests as an “act of war”, its first response to the latest diplomatic move to punish Pyongyang’s everaccelerating weapons drive.

Tension has been high on the flashpoint peninsula as the isolated but nucleararmed regime has staged a series of atomic and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests – most recently on Nov 29.

The latest launch of the Hwasong15 ICBM, seen capable of hitting all major US cities, further heightened global alarm over the rapid advance in the country’s weapons technology.

“We fully reject the latest UN sanctions... as a violent breach of our republic’s sovereignty and an act of war that destroys the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and a wider region,” Pyongyang’s foreign ministry said.

Pyongyang’s bellicose reply came a day after the UN Security Council unanimously passed new sanctions that will restrict oil supplies vital for the impoverished state.

The third raft of sanctions imposed on the North this year, sparked by last month’s ICBM test, also received the backing of China – the North’s sole major ally and economic lifeline.

The sanctions also order the repatriation of North Korean workers sent abroad to earn much needed revenue for Kim Jongun’s regime.

The country’s weapons programmes have made significant progress since Kim took power in 2011.

The North has defended its missile and nuclear weapons programmes as measures for selfdefence against “hostile” US policies towards Pyongyang.

And a defiant Pyongyang vowed yesterday that the country would continue its weapons push “more vigorously” to “form a balance of power with the United States”. — AFP