N. Korea says it's a 'pipe dream' that it will give up nukes

A South Korean soldier guards a military watchtower in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea on Monday, December 25, 2017. North Korea has invited the latest UN sanctions on Sunday to indicate the country as " an act of war ". "This violates their sovereignty and said it is an" impossible dream "that the United States thinks it will abandon its nuclear weapons. (AP Photo / Ahn Young-joon)

Seoul, South Korea (AP) - North Korea said it was an "impossible dream" for the United States to think it would abandon its nuclear weapons and called the latest UN sanctions a "war act" that violates the country. your sovereignty

The UN Security Council unanimously approved tough new sanctions against North Korea on Friday in response to its latest launch of a ballistic missile that Pyongyang can reach anywhere in the continental United States. The resolution was drafted by the United States and negotiated with the closest ally of the North, China.

"We call this 'resolution of sanctions' manipulated by the United States and its followers as a serious violation of the sovereignty of our Republic, as an act of war that violates peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the region and categorically rejects the opposition "resolution," North Korea's foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

The ministry said that sanctions amount to a "complete economic blockade" of North Korea.

"If the United States wants to live in security, it must abandon its hostile policy towards North Korea and learn to live with the country that possesses nuclear weapons and must awaken from its dream that our country will abandon the nuclear weapons we have developed ". and completed through all kinds of difficulties, "said the statement, published by the Central News Agency of North Korea.
The DPRK is the abbreviation of the official name of North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

China called for moderation Monday and Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said nations should "make positive and constructive efforts to reduce tensions" on the Korean peninsula.

Hua said the new UN resolution emphasizes "not impacting humanitarian aid" on North Koreans and does not affect regular economic activities or humanitarian assistance.

The resolution includes significantly lower limits for North Korea's refined oil imports, the return home of all North Koreans working overseas in 24 months and a campaign against smuggling of prohibited items, including coal and oil, for and from the country.

The success of the Trump administration in achieving the resolution was praised by the highest Senate Democratic Committee on Foreign Relations, Ben Cardin of Maryland. "It was a good play, a great result," he said.

Cardin, who spoke of "Fox News Sunday," said that the increase in sanctions should be followed by diplomacy aimed at uniting the United States and China in a constant effort to ease tensions in that region.

But the resolution does not include the even more stringent measures sought by the Trump administration that would ban all oil imports and freeze the government's international assets and its leader, Kim Jong Un.

The resolution generated criticism from Russia for the brief period in which the Security Council nations had to take into consideration the project and the last minute changes in the text. Two of these changes have extended the deadline for North Korean workers to return home from 12 months to 24 months, which according to Russia was the minimum necessary and reduced the number of North Koreans who were blacklisted. from 7 to 15.