Seoul, January 14
North Korea on Friday slammed the Biden administration for imposing new sanctions against the country over its latest missile tests and warned that stronger and more pronounced action would be taken if Washington maintains its “confrontational stance”.
In a statement carried by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency, an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesman defended the recent alleged launch of hypersonic missiles by North Korea as an appropriate exercise of self-defense.
The spokesman said the new sanctions underscore the hostile US intent aimed at “isolating and suppressing” the North, while Washington has made repeated calls to Pyongyang to resume diplomacy, which seeks sanctions relief. And disagreements about nuclear disarmament steps have stalled.
The Biden administration on Wednesday imposed sanctions on five North Koreans in response to the North’s latest missile test this week over their role in obtaining equipment and technology for North Korea’s missile programs, and also said it would face new UN sanctions. will demand.
The announcement by the Treasury Department came hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the successful test of a hypersonic missile on Tuesday, which he claimed would significantly increase the country’s nuclear “war deterrence”.
A North Korean spokesman accused the United States of maintaining a “gangster-like” stance, saying the North’s development of the new missile is part of efforts to modernize its military and does not target any specific country or target its neighbors. There is no security threat. ,
The spokesman, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic, said, “Nevertheless, the US is deliberately aggravating the situation even with the activation of independent sanctions, referring to the DPRK’s appropriate activity in the United Nations Security Council.” Not satisfied with doing it.” of Korea.
“This shows that although the current US administration is trumpeting about diplomacy and dialogue, it is still engrossed in its policy of isolating and suppressing the DPRK… . AP