A North Korean envoy on Tuesday said that the Kim Jong-Un regime does not fear the United States sanctions aimed at cutting the country from the global financial system. The envoy added that North Korea will continue to pursue "acceleration" of its nuclear and missile programmes, according to Reuters.
US Secretary of State Tillerson says military action 'an option' against North Korea
Choe Myong Nam, Deputy Ambassador at the North Korean mission to the United Nations in Geneva, said that his nation will continue developing a "pre-emptive first strike capability" and an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) to equip itself.
Reports on Monday stated that the Trump administration is considering imposing sweeping sanctions as part of broader measures to curb North Korea's nuclear and missile threat.
Last week, during his visit to Japan and South Korea, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had stated America will consider military action as its options if North Korea did not stop its missile tests.
Tillerson also said that the policy of "strategic patience" has come to an end and that the US is now exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures.
North Korea, in the recent years, has caused worldwide concern over its frequent ballistic missiles and nuclear tests. The Kim Jong-Un regime-led country has not stopped testing missiles even after several sanctions were imposed against it by the United Nations (UN).
On Wednesday, Japan said that North Korea had again attempted a ballistic missile test. However, it failed.
"I think this is stemming from the visit by the secretary of state (Rex Tillerson) to Japan, South Korea and China...We of course are not afraid of any act like that," Choe told Reuters.
"Even prohibition of the international transactions system, the global financial system, this kind of thing is part of their system that will not frighten us or make any difference," he added. He also called existing sanctions "heinous and inhumane."
