A defiant North Korea on Sunday said it \u201cfully rejects\u201d newly expanded UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests.<\/b>
\nA defiant North Korea on Sunday said it \u201cfully rejects\u201d newly expanded UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests \u2014 blasting the measures as \u201ca crafty hostile act.\u201d
\u201cWhatever sanctions and pressure may follow, we will not flinch from the road to build up nuclear forces which was chosen to defend the sovereignty of the country and the rights to national existence and will move forward towards the final victory, \u201d a foreign ministry spokesman told the state-run KCNA news agency, according to Reuters .
The UN Security Council\u2019s Friday resolution was aimed at \u201cputting a curb on the DPRK\u2019s buildup of nuclear forces, disarming it and causing economic suffocation to it, \u201d the spokesman said, employing an acronym for the Democratic People\u2019s Republic of Korea.
The new penalties slapped on the reclusive communist nation targeted 14 individuals and four entities related to its missile and nuclear programs \u2014 condemning the North\u2019s activities \u201cin the strongest possible terms.\u201d
U. S. successfully tests missile defense after North Korea warning
\u201cBeyond diplomatic and financial consequences, the United States remains prepared to counteract North Korean aggression through other means, if necessary, \u201d UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said after the unanimous vote.
North Korea, however, responded in typical bombast Sunday \u2014 with its foreign ministry flack warning it would be \u201ca fatal miscalculation\u201d for countries to \u201cthink that they can delay or hold in check the eye-opening development of the (North\u2019s) nuclear forces even for a moment.\u201d
The North\u2019s insolent words came a day after Defense Secretary James Mattis called the country\u2019s nuclear tests \u201ca clear and present danger.\u201d
\u201cThe regime\u2019s actions are manifestly illegal under international law, \u201d the retired general said Saturday during a Singapore defense summit. \u201cThere is a strong international consensus that the current situation cannot continue.\u201d
UN gets tougher on North Korea in response to missile tests
Tensions between North Korea and the U. S. have ratcheted up in an escalating exchange of rhetoric since President Trump took office in January.
The North has conducted five nuclear weapons tests since October 2006. The dictatorship, which continues to threaten a sixth, has also launched a handful of missile test-fires since January.
The U. S., meanwhile, successfully intercepted a long-distance warhead last week in a historic test of the country\u2019s defenses against intercontinental-range missiles.
Mattis warned last weekend that war with North Korea would be \u201cprobably the worst kind of fighting in most people\u2019s lifetime.\u201d
Mattis brands North Korea a \u2018clear and present danger\u2019
\u201cThe bottom line is it would be a catastrophic war if this turns into a combat if we\u2019 re not able to resolve this situation through diplomatic means, \u201d Mattis told CBS\u2019s \u201cFace the Nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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