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North Korea said Friday that sanctions and pressure “may work on the weak but never on us” after a group of countries and the European Union called for Pyongyang’s complete denuclearization and stronger action against efforts to evade U.N. sanctions.
Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the U.K., the U.S. and the EU urged North Korea to abandon what they described as its “unlawful” weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs.
“We continue to strongly support the implementation of all DPRK-related U.N. Security Council resolutions,” the countries said in a joint statement.
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson rejected the statement, calling it a “wanton violation” of the country’s sovereignty.
The ministry also condemned what it described as efforts by the U.S. and its “vassal forces” to justify a hostile policy toward Pyongyang under “unjust and unreasonable pretexts.”
North Korea warned members of the multilateral sanctions monitoring team, including South Korea and Japan, as well as the EU, over what it called their role in the U.S.-led sanctions campaign.
The ministry said those countries would be “held accountable” for what it described as hostile actions.
It added that North Korea would continue relying on its own strength to protect its sovereignty and national interests and work toward international relations based on what it called justice and impartiality.
The latest statement follows renewed calls from the U.S., South Korea and Japan for North Korea’s complete denuclearization.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi reaffirmed their “resolute commitment” to the complete denuclearization of North Korea during talks Friday on the sidelines of the G20 meeting in Atlanta, according to the U.S. State Department.
The three also pledged full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, including restrictions on revenue supporting North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
North Korea has repeatedly rejected disarmament and has enshrined its status as a nuclear-armed state in law, declaring its nuclear arsenal permanent and irreversible.
The renewed pressure comes amid speculation over a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at next month’s APEC summit in China, as Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in renewed nuclear talks with Pyongyang.
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