North Korea has reacted angrily to a joint statement by countries monitoring the implementation of international sanctions against Pyongyang, with the North Korean Foreign Ministry denouncing what it called a “flagrant violation of sovereignty” and accusing the United States and the West of pursuing a hostile policy. It also made clear that economic and diplomatic pressure would not affect its status as a nuclear-armed state.

According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which reported the statement on Saturday (31 October), a spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry rejected calls for stricter enforcement of international sanctions, arguing that Washington’s policy and that of its allies could not overturn Pyongyang’s strategic choices.

‘Sanctions and pressure cannot shake us’

North Korea’s response followed a joint statement issued on Wednesday (28 October) by countries participating in the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT).

The group includes, among others, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and South Korea.

The North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused these countries of using the sanctions regime as a means of exerting political pressure.

“Sanctions and pressure may work on the weak, but never on us,” the spokesperson said, according to KCNA.

The spokesperson added that sanctions imposed by the United States and the West “cannot shake the position of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a state possessing nuclear weapons”.

Pyongyang described the joint statement as a product of Western hostility towards the country, arguing that it constituted a direct affront to its national sovereignty.

What the countries monitoring sanctions are demanding

In their joint statement, the countries participating in the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team called on all member states of the United Nations to fully implement the relevant Security Council resolutions.

The restrictions concern, among other things, the employment of North Korean workers abroad, as well as prohibited military cooperation with Pyongyang.

The measures aim to curb activities that could contribute to the financing and development of North Korea’s weapons programmes.

UN resolutions on the nuclear programme

Since 2006, the United Nations Security Council has adopted a series of resolutions imposing sanctions on North Korea, seeking to bring an end to its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development programmes.

However, Pyongyang continues to reject international pressure to abandon its nuclear arsenal, which it regards as a central element of its defence and strategic policy.

The latest statement from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry reaffirms the country’s position that Western sanctions will not lead to any change in its status as a nuclear-armed state.