North Korea warns of ultra-hardline response to Japanese sanctions move

Written by Meenaa on Monday, November 10th, 2008

SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) — North Korea said Monday it will react in a ultra-hardline manner to Japan’s move to increase sanctions on the communist state.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso suggested late last month that Tokyo may consider imposing more sanctions on North Korea due to its delay in starting a reinvestigation into the kidnapping of Japanese nationals by its agents in the 1970s and 80s to train its spies, Japanese media reports said.

North Korea agreed with Japan in August to complete the reinvestigation by this fall. Japan, in return, promised to partially lift sanctions that it imposed on North Korea after it conducted an underground nuclear test in 2006.

“Japan’s attempt to handle our republic by putting more pressure or imposing additional sanctions itself is nonsense,” Rodong Sinmun, the North’s most influential newspaper said in a commentary. “Our country has stayed alive under Japanese sanctions and built up stable grounds for a self-reliant national economy despite the persistent sanctions,” it said.

Such a move can hardly pose any threat to North Korea, the organ of the country’s Workers’ Party stressed.

sshim@yna.co.kr