Pyongyang threatens ‘physical action’

North Korea escalated its criticism of the United States, as well as its neighbouring allies, on Tuesday by warning that it will mobilize all its resources to take “physical action” in retaliation against the latest round of United Nations sanctions.

The statement, carried by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency, was the strongest indication yet that the country could conduct another nuclear or missile test, as it had often done in response to past UN sanctions.

“Packs of wolves are coming in attack to strangle a nation,” the North Korean statement said. “They should be mindful that the DPRK’s strategic steps accompanied by physical action will be taken mercilessly with the mobilization of all its national strength.”

DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

North Korea’s statement on Tuesday appeared to defy efforts by both Washington and Beijing to defuse the tense situation.

On Monday, while attending a regional security meeting of foreign ministers in Manila, US secretary of state Rex Tillerson kept the door open for talks with North Korea, suggesting that the country should stop its recent string of missile launches to set the stage for negotiations over its weapons programs. At the same venue, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said he told his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong Ho that the North should stop carrying out nuclear and missile tests.