North Korea threatened to step up its military push including its nuclear weapons programme after the United Nations Security Council, including its ally China, condemned its December rocket launch.
"We will take measures to boost and strengthen our defensive military power including nuclear deterrence," its Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency KCNA.
The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday unanimously condemned North Korea's December rocket launch and expanded existing U.N. sanctions, eliciting a vow from Pyongyang to boost the North's military and nuclear capabilities.
Even though the resolution approved by the 15-nation council does not impose new sanctions on Pyongyang, diplomats said Beijing's support for it was a significant diplomatic blow to Pyongyang.
The resolution said the council "deplores the violations" by North Korea of its previous resolutions, which banned Pyongyang from conducting further ballistic missile and nuclear tests and from importing materials and technology for these programs.
It also said the council "expresses its determination to take significant action in the event of a further DPRK (North Korean) launch or nuclear test."
North Korea reacted quickly, saying it would hold no more talks on the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula and would boost its military and nuclear capabilities.
Russia insists that measures of economic sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council, be carefully elaborated and weighed.
This was announced by Russia's permanent representative at the organization, Vitaly Churkin, after a Council meeting that passed a resolution extending the list of sanctions against North Korea in response to Pyongyang's controversial rocket launch.
"All interested sides had a clear understanding of the impact of sanctions on North Korea’s national financial and economic interests," the diplomat added.
The Security Council on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution condemning the satellite rocket launch carried out on December 12.
The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to condemn North Korea's December rocket launch and tighten existing U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang.
Among them - the committee on aerospace technology, as well as several heads of relevant departments.
The resolution approved by the 15-nation council was the result of a deal between the United States and China, envoys said on condition of anonymity. All permanent members of the Security Council, including Russia and China, voted for the document.
Even though the resolution does not impose new sanctions on Pyongyang, diplomats said China's support for it was a significant diplomatic blow to Pyongyang.
The UN Security Council plans to vote later on Tuesday on a draft resolution that condemns North Korea for its December rocket launch and calls for tightening existing UN sanctions, council diplomats said.
The UN press office confirmed that the 15-nation council would discuss North Korea at a meeting on unrelated issues that begins at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
UN diplomats said on condition of anonymity that they were planning to vote on the US drafted resolution.
This story first appeared on Voice of Russia & is reposted here with permission.