North Korea says the United States will pay a “due price” if new sanctions against the country are agreed to at a United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday.
The Foreign Ministry of North Korea, officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), called the U.S.-drafted resolution “illegal and unlawful.” The maneuver follows North Korea’s sixth and largest nuclear test, carried out on Sept. 3.
“The DPRK is ready and willing to use any form of ultimate means,” reads the North Korean statement. “The forthcoming measures to be taken by the DPRK will cause the U.S. the greatest pain and suffering it had ever gone through in its entire history.”
The U.S. proposal calls for a full ban on oil exports to North Korea and an immediate freeze on the overseas financial assets of leader Kim Jong Un and those serving in his government. The resolution up for a vote is reportedly softer than what had originally been proposed to cater to the interests of China and Russia, which both share a border with North Korea and have veto power in the Security Council.
“We hope UNSC members will come to a consensus through full consultations and will send out the voice of unity and solidarity,” said Geng Shuang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, on Monday. “The UNSC’s response and actions should be helpful to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to maintaining the stability of the region. And also helpful to solve the North Korea issue peacefully.”
