Home   >   News   >   North Korea   >   N. Korea warns of ‘stern’ responses against UN sanctions

N. Korea warns of ‘stern’ responses against UN sanctions

March 4, 2016
North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Pyongyang has long claimed it has the right to develop nuclear weapons to defend itself against the U.S., an established nuclear power with whom it has been in a state of war for more than 65 years. But to build a credible nuclear threat, the North must explode new nuclear devices — including miniaturized ones — so its scientists can improve their designs and technology. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

FILE — North Koreans watch a news broadcast on a video screen outside Pyongyang Railway Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Kim Kwang Hyon)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — North Korea warned Friday that it will take “stern” actions in response to the United Nations Security Council’s imposition of tougher sanctions over the North’s nuclear and missile programs.

“We will mobilize various means and ways to take strong and merciless actions, including physical means,” North Korea said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

The North warned that it will take “stern” actions against the move by the United States and its followers to crush its sovereign rights.

“We sternly reject the U.N. sanctions as we view them to be the most reckless provocation,” it said.

The North’s response came as the Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a new resolution sanctioning the North over its latest nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.

The resolution calls for mandatory inspections of all cargo going into and out of North Korea and a ban on exports of mineral resources, a major source of hard currency for the cash-strapped country.

North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test on Jan. 6, followed by a long-range rocket launch last month, a move which outside experts view as a cover for a ballistic missile technology test.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered his military on Thursday to make the country’s nuclear weapons ready to be used in an apparent expression of anger over the fresh U.N. sanctions.