06 December, 2016
Pyongyang calls the United Nations action, the harshest to date, an "abuse of power" and says it will be met with tough countermeasures.
Foreign ministry notes UN Security Council member states have conducted thousands of nuclear tests and rocket launches. Meanwhile, Seoul has unveiled "symbolic" new sanctions against Pyongyang.
Kim Jong-un described the sight as "awesome", adding: "Once the battle takes place, we will strike the South Korean forces like that, to completely disable the response of the South Koreans to the first strike".
We will have to put up with North Korea's de facto nuclear status for some time.
As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump talked about China nearly exclusively in the context of trade, such as when he promised to slap punishing tariffs on cheap Chinese imports that he argued had ruined the lives of working-class Americans.
Responding to North Korea's recent nuclear test and alleged violations of United Nations resolutions, the U.S. is issuing new sanctions to cut off money to the country and counter what the Treasury Department calls continued "provocative behavior" by Pyongyang.
"And after Libya and what I anticipate will be the collapse of the agreement with Iran, I don't see any appetite in North Korea either". At the same time, China is urged to take a tougher stance to thwart smuggling from North Korea across the border between the two countries.
The new round of sanctions will not only raise tensions with North Korea, but also with China, which is its strategic ally and largest trading partner.
A new wave of sanctions - tightening the noose around North Korea.
The US Treasury Department on Friday blacklisted individuals and companies it said were helping the North Korean government or its nuclear and weapons programmes, but no Chinese firms were on the list.
South Korea also said it would ban entry from the South by foreign missile and nuclear experts if their visits to North Korea were deemed to be a threat to South Korean national interests.
North Korea is already one of the most diplomatically and economically isolated countries in the world.
Trump, whose real estate business has had dealings with the Bank of China, has urged Beijing to do more to rein in its neighbour and lambasted China mostly for its trade practises on the campaign trail.
Recent Chinese customs data show that coal exports from North Korea have returned to normal levels after a brief dip following the March sanctions.
Tokyo also unveiled similar unilateral measures on the same day.
Wednesday's sanctions aimed to cut off North Korea's supply of cash to continue their missile programs, cutting exports of coal, nonferrous metals and statues.
But what's more important is how to implement the sanctions thoroughly and perfectly, he added.
A source close to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe praised the Security Council resolution, calling it so effective as to render unilateral sanctions nearly unnecessary.
North Korea and the United States have never had formal diplomatic relations, but while on the campaign trail, Trump expressed willingness to sit down with North Korea leader Kim Jong-un.
The U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions this week on North Korea, putting a stricter cap on the country's exports of coal as well as copper, nickel, silver, and zinc.
