North Korea defiant over U.N. sanctions as Trump says tougher steps needed

SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - 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 by the 15-member U.N. Security Council were but a small step of what is ultimately needed to rein in Pyongyang over its weapons programs.

The North’s Foreign Ministry said the resolutions were an infringement on its legitimate right to self defense 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. The 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 is “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 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.