UN sanctions ‘an act of war’: N. Korea
China urges positive and constructive efforts to de-escalate tensions’
The Chinese government has urged countries to act with restraint and work to ease tensions after North Korea called the latest UN sanctions to target the country “an act of war” that violates its sovereignty.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Monday that nations should “exercise restraint and make positive and constructive efforts to de-escalate tensions on the (Korean) peninsula.”
The UN Security Council unanimously approved tough new sanctions against North Korea on Friday in response to its latest launch of a ballistic missile that Pyongyang says can reach anywhere on the U.S. mainland.
Hua said the new UN resolution emphasizes “not inflicting adverse humanitarian impact” on North Koreans and not affecting regular economic activities, humanitarian assistance and the activities of the diplomatic missions in North Korea.
Hua said the new UN resolution emphasizes “not inflicting adverse humanitarian impact” on North Koreans and not affecting regular economic activities, humanitarian assistance and the activities of the diplomatic missions in North Korea.
On Sunday, North Korea called the sanctions “an act of war” that violates its sovereignty, and said it is a “pipe dream” for the United States to think it will give up its nuclear weapons.
The UN Security Council unanimously approved the sanctions in response to North Korea’s latest launch of a ballistic missile that Pyongyang says can reach anywhere on the U.S. mainland. The resolution was drafted by the United States and negotiated with the North’s closest ally, China.
“We define this ‘sanctions resolution’ rigged up by the U.S. and its followers as a grave infringement upon the sovereignty of our Republic, as an act of war violating peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and the region and categorically reject the ‘resolution,’” North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the sanctions are tantamount to a “complete economic blockade” of North Korea.
“If the U.S. wishes to live safely, it must abandon its hostile policy towards the DPRK and learn to co-exist with the country that has nuclear weapons and should wake up from its pipe dream of our country giving up nuclear weapons which we have developed and completed through all kinds of hardships,” said the statement, carried by the North Korean Central News Agency.
DPRK is short for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
The resolution adopted by the Security Council includes lower limits on North Korea’s refined oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas within 24 months, and a crackdown on ships smuggling banned items including coal and oil to and from the country.
But the resolution doesn’t include even harsher measures sought by the Trump administration that would ban all oil imports and freeze international assets of the government and its leader, Kim Jong Un.