PYONGYANG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday again denounced a UN Security Council resolution passed in late November on sanctions to further curb its nuclear and missile programs.
Neither UN sanctions nor independent sanctions can ever work on the DPRK, which has already become a nuclear and space power, the director of the Department of Treaty and Law of the DPRK Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state media KCNA.
The director denounced the newly adopted resolution, saying it "wantonly violates the sovereignty of the DPRK without any legality."
"The DPRK's legitimate self-defensive measure to defend its dignity and vital rights and protect genuine peace from the ever-more increasing nuclear war threat from the U.S. is the legal right of a sovereign state," said the statement.
The DPRK has claimed that it has been developing nuclear capability and missile technology only to cope with the growing military threat from Washington and other hostile forces.
On Nov. 30, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to tighten sanctions against the DPRK in response to the country's fifth and the largest nuclear test on Sept. 9. But Pyongyang has rejected the resolution and said it was a "violation of the DPRK's sovereignty."
The council sets an upper limit on the DPRK's coal exporting, saying the total exports from the country do not exceed 400.9 million U.S. dollars or 7.5 million metric tons per year, starting on Jan. 1, 2017.
In addition, the Security Council bans the sale of copper, nickel, silver, zinc and statues from the DPRK.
