North Korea remained defiant over new U.N. sanctions imposed for its latest nuclear test, vowing on Wednesday to redouble efforts to fight off what it said was the threat of a U.S. invasion.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday's sanctions, unanimously agreed on Monday by the 15-member U.N. Security Council, were just a small step towards what is ultimately needed to rein in Pyongyang over its weapons programmes.
The North's Foreign Ministry said the resolutions were an infringement on its legitimate right to self defence and aimed at "completely suffocating its state and people through full-scale economic blockade".
"The DPRK will redouble the efforts to increase its strength to safeguard the country's sovereignty and right to existence and to preserve peace and security of the region by establishing the practical equilibrium with the U.S.," it said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
The statement echoed comments on Tuesday by the North's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Han Tae Song, who said Pyongyang was "ready to use a form of ultimate means".
"The forthcoming measures ... will make the U.S. suffer the greatest pain it ever experienced in its history," Han said.
The North's Rodong Sinmun also accused South Korea of being Washington's "puppet" on Wednesday, criticising Seoul's agreement with the United States to amend an existing bilateral guideline that will now allow the South to use unlimited warhead payloads on its missiles.
The U.N. Security Council agreed to boost sanctions on North Korea, banning its textile exports and capping fuel supplies, and making it illegal for foreign firms to form commercial joint ventures with North Korean entities.
The U.N. resolution was triggered by North Korea's sixth and largest nuclear test this month, which it said was of an advanced hydrogen bomb.
South Korea's Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said on Tuesday traces of xenon-133 isotope found in South Korean territory were linked to the test, although it said it could not be determined whether a hydrogen bomb had been tested.
Damage to mountainous terrain at the North's nuclear test site in Punggye-ri seen in satellite imagery taken after the latest test was more extensive than anything seen after the five previous tests, the Washington-based 38 North project said.
There was also activity at another location in the Mount Mantap site involving large vehicles and mining equipment that suggests "onsite work could now be changing focus to further prepare those other portals for future underground nuclear testing," said 38 North, which monitors North Korea.
North Korea has also tested a missile capable of reaching the United States, but experts say it is likely to be at least a year before it can field an operational nuclear missile that could threaten the U.S. mainland.
ANOTHER SMALL STEP
Trump has vowed not to allow that to happen.
A tougher initial U.S. draft was weakened to win the support of China and Russia, both of which hold U.N. veto power. Significantly, it stopped short of imposing a full embargo on oil exports to North Korea, most of which come from China.
"We think it's just another very small step, not a big deal," Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.
"I don't know if it has any impact, but certainly it was nice to get a 15-to-nothing vote, but those sanctions are nothing compared to what ultimately will have to happen."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned China, North Korea's main ally and trading partner, that Washington would "put additional sanctions on them and prevent them from accessing the U.S. and international dollar system" if it did not follow through on the new measures.
Another senior administration official told Reuters any such "secondary sanctions" on Chinese banks and other companies were on hold for now to give China time to show it was prepared to fully enforce the latest and previous rounds of sanctions.
Washington so far has mostly held off on new sanctions against Chinese banks and other companies doing business with North Korea, given fears of retaliation by Beijing and possibly far-reaching effects on the world economy.
Russia and China both say they respect U.N. sanctions and have called on the United States to return to negotiations with North Korea. They have also said they could kick-start talks with North Korea if the United States halts joint military drills with South Korea, which Washington has rejected.
An article carried on the front page of the People's Daily, the official paper of China's ruling Communist Party, said the Korean peninsula had reached the "moment of choice" where the United States and North Korea must break from the cycle of nuclear tests and sanctions.
"All parties involved in the peninsula have their own strategic considerations, but not being able to see beyond this vicious cycle is not in anyone's interest," the article said.
In another show of force, South Korea's Air Force conducted its first live-fire exercise of Taurus long-range, air-to-surface missiles on Tuesday, the defence ministry said, as practice for precision bombing North Korean facilities.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the new sanctions could eventually starve North Korea of an additional $500 million or more in annual revenue.
The United States has said that a previous round of sanctions agreed in August was aimed at cutting North Korea's $3 billion in exports by a third.
Reuters
Wed Sep 13 2017
The North Korea flag flutters next to concertina wire at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Edgar Su
[LAPOR LANGSUNG] Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: Sah! Tiga kapal tetap berlayar, redah laut Mediterranean 24 April ini
FFC mengesahkan tiga kapal yang terlibat dalam misi Break the Siege of Gaza Freedom Flotilla akan memulakan pelayaran pada 24 April depan.
Freedom Flotilla to Gaza: Sah! Tiga kapal tetap berlayar, redah laut Mediterranean 24 April ini
FFC mengesahkan tiga kapal yang terlibat dalam misi Break the Siege of Gaza Freedom Flotilla akan memulakan pelayaran pada 24 April 2024 bersamaan hari Rabu.
SkyTrax: Kedudukan KLIA jatuh ke tangga 71
Kedudukan KLIA kini di tangga ke-71 mengikut Senarai Lapangan Terbang Terbaik Dunia SkyTrax 2024, jatuh empat anak tangga berbanding tahun sebelumnya.
China arahkan Apple keluarkan WhatsApp dan Thread daripada App Store
Kerajaan China mengarahkan Apple untuk mengeluarkan aplikasi Whatsapp dan Threads daripada App store China.
Empat pelari terlibat kontroversi dilucut pingat
Penganjur acara separa maraton Beijing mengumumkan pada Jumaat bahawa empat pelari yang terlibat dalam perlumbaan kontroversi pada Ahad lepas telah dilucutkan pingat, lapor Xinhua.
ASEAN gesa patuhi konsensus lima perkara
Negara-negara anggota ASEAN menzahirkan kebimbangan terhadap ketegangan yang berlaku di Myawaddy, Kayin State yang terletak di sempadan Myanmar-Thailand, serta di Rakhine State, Myanmar.
ASEAN berkata, ia ingin menegaskan semula komitmen untuk membantu Myanmar mencari penyelesaian dengan mewujudkan persekitaran kondusif melalu pelaksanaan penuh Konsensus Lima Perkara yang dipersetujui sebelum ini.
ASEAN berkata, ia ingin menegaskan semula komitmen untuk membantu Myanmar mencari penyelesaian dengan mewujudkan persekitaran kondusif melalu pelaksanaan penuh Konsensus Lima Perkara yang dipersetujui sebelum ini.
Setiap parti politik ada kaedah sendiri – Zahid
Setiap parti politik di dalam Kerajaan Perpaduan mempunyai kaedah sendiri untuk membantu memenangkan calon mereka pada Pilihan Raya Kecil Kuala Kubu Bharu, bulan depan.
Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas laporan mengenai kenyataan MCA tidak akan berkempen pada PRK itu.
Pengerusi Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas laporan mengenai kenyataan MCA tidak akan berkempen pada PRK itu.
Masih setia dengan UMNO, kritikan hanya untuk beri semangat
Ahli Majlis Kerja Tertinggi (MKT) UMNO, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz menegaskan beliau masih setia bersama parti itu meskipun ada mengkritik kepemimpinan UMNO Selangor sebelum ini.
Bekas Bendahari UMNO Selangor itu berkata, kritikan yang dibuatnya sebelum ini adalah berbentuk konstruktif dan hanya ingin membakar semangat parti itu.
Bekas Bendahari UMNO Selangor itu berkata, kritikan yang dibuatnya sebelum ini adalah berbentuk konstruktif dan hanya ingin membakar semangat parti itu.
Titah Addendum: Anwar enggan terlibat, itu bidang kuasa Lembaga Pengampunan dan YDP Agong
Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tidak mahu terlibat dengan perbincangan membabitkan titah tambahan berhubung tahanan di rumah membabitkan bekas Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Anwar berkata, ini kerana perkara itu merupakan di bawah bidang kuasa Lembaga Pengampunan Wilayah Persekutuan dan juga melibatkan Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan Raja-Raja Melayu.
Anwar berkata, ini kerana perkara itu merupakan di bawah bidang kuasa Lembaga Pengampunan Wilayah Persekutuan dan juga melibatkan Yang di-Pertuan Agong dan Raja-Raja Melayu.
Giat Mara Bagan Datuk naik taraf jadi kampus MCI
Giat Mara Bagan Datuk telah dinaik taraf menjadi kampus Malaysia-China Institute (MCI) bagi melatih pelajar tempatan di dalam bidang Latihan Teknikal Dan Vokasional Malaysia (TVET) sebelum di hantar ke China.
Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, sejajar dengan itu, keluasan institusi berkenaan serta fasiliti akan ditambah.
Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata, sejajar dengan itu, keluasan institusi berkenaan serta fasiliti akan ditambah.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Dakwaan Kim Jong Un koma meragukan - Penganalisis
Tiada petunjuk jelas bahawa Jong Un sedang koma atau sakit pada masa ini.
Kim Jong-un hidup, sihat, tidak jalani sebarang pembedahan, dakwa Pegawai Korea Selatan
Seorang pegawai Korea Selatan menyatakan bahawa pemimpin Korea Utara Kim Jong-un tidak menjalani sebarang pembedahan sepanjang tempoh dia menghilangkan diri dari khalayak umum.
Bapa saudara Kim Jong Un kembali menjadi perbualan di Pyongyang
Ekoran pelbagai stigma negatif dilontarkan terhadap kepimpinan wanita di negara itu, nama-nama pewaris lain yang berpotensi mengambil alih pimpinan kerajaan Korea Utara mula menjadi perdebatan.
China hantar pakar perubatan ke Korea Utara - Laporan
Menurut Reuters, yang memetik tiga sumber rapat, pasukan tersebut diketuai seorang pegawai kanan di Jabatan Perhubungan Antarabangsa kerajaan China yang telah bertolak pada Khamis.
Trump, Jong-un gagal capai perjanjian nuklear
Trump sepatutnya dijadual mengadakan majlis menandatangani perjanjian bersama dengan Korea Utara di akhir pertemuan mereka.
Trump, Kim sign document at end of historic summit
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a "comprehensive" document following a historic summit aimed at the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.
Singapura sedia hos pertemuan Trump-Kim pada 12 Jun
Singapura kini bersedia buat julung kalinya menganjurkan pertemuan antara Presiden Amerika Syarikat Donald J Trump dan pemimpin Korea Utara Kim Jong Un pada 12 Jun.
Trump bayangkan Singapura jadi lokasi sidang kemuncak dengan Kim Jong-un
Mongolia dan Switzerland juga antara lokasi yang mungkin dipertimbangkan bagi pertemuan bersejarah antara kedua-dua pemimpin tersebut.
Kim Jong Un tinggalkan bumi Korea Utara buat pertama kali dalam sejarah sejak memerintah
Media Jepun mendakwa pemimpin kontroversi peluru berpandu itu tiba di Beijing bagi mengadakan kunjungannya di negara tembok besar itu semalam menggunakan kereta api.