North Korea has slammed the latest round of UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions against Pyongyang as "an act of war" and vowed to consolidate its nuclear programme.In a statement published by the state-run KCNA news agency on Sunday, the foreign ministry said new measures proposed by the US infringe North Korea's illusory sovereignty and violate peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula.
"We define this 'sanctions resolution' rigged up by the US and its followers as a grave infringement upon the illusory 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,'" the ministry said.
The 15-member UNSC unanimously voted on Friday to impose tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to its latest missile test and vowed to prevent Pyongyang from furthering its nuclear programme.
The measures order North Koreans working abroad to return home within two years and ban nearly 90 percent of refined petroleum exports to the country.