UN sanctions 'a declaration of war', says North Korea
UN sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear test are a declaration of war, and the country will “mercilessly strike” if the nation’s sovereignty is violated, the North’s central government said today in its first response to the UN measures.
The North’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency that the country wanted peace, but it was not afraid of war.
The North “vehemently denounces the resolution, a product of the US hostile policy toward (the North) and totally refutes it,” the statement said.
“The resolution cannot be construed otherwise than a declaration of a war” against the North, it said.
The country warned that if anyone used the UN resolution to infringe on the country’s sovereignty, “it will deal merciless blows at him through strong actions”.
The UN sanctions, passed on Saturday, ban the sale of major arms to the North and orders the inspection of cargo to and from the country. It also calls for the freezing of assets of business supplying the North’s nuclear and ballistic weapons programmes.
The North “will closely follow the future US attitude and take corresponding measures”, the statement said, without specifying what those measures would be.
