Kim Son Gyong, vice-minister for International Organizations of the DPRK Foreign Ministry, released the following press statement on May 8:

As soon as the illegal anti-DPRK sanctions-breeding mechanism, which had violated and threatened the sovereignty and right to existence of a sovereign state by abusing the sacred name of the UN, has come to an end, the U.S. is racking its brain to create a substitute for the mechanism.

The U.S. has so far stirred up confrontation and conflict in the Korean peninsula and the East Asian region, seriously deteriorating the security environment. It is now working hard to invent a new criminal mechanism targeting other nations and a specified country by rallying all reactionary forces. This is a wrong and harmful act of disturbing the fundamental order of global peace and security.

The U.S. impudent moves to use the UN as a tool for attaining its unfair political concession at home and operate a phantom organization abroad to trample down the authority of the UN are the root cause of bringing down the present international political security structure based on the purpose and principle of the UN Charter.

The U.S. is trying to set up another sanctions monitoring mechanism led by it, without any sign of self-reflection after its miserable failure at the UNSC. Such behavior is a typical example of the self-conceit of the U.S. regarding itself as a supranational entity standing above the international law.

This issue is by no means limited to the DPRK.

If the U.S. brigandish behavior is permitted, the wrong international practice of fabricating illegal plot-breeding mechanism against any country and imposing unilateral sanctions will become a custom and this will be a serious challenge to the international community aspiring after justice and equity.

I express serious concern over the arbitrary practice of the U.S. brandishing illegal sanctions stick at the international community while openly ignoring the recognized basic rules of the international relations, and strongly denounce it.

When looking back on the past history of the U.S. which has suffered only setbacks in the confrontation with the DPRK either in military coercion or diplomatic ability, to have a vital stake in sanctions will be, in essence, the only and last-ditch option of the U.S., the weak.

No matter what sanctions mechanism the U.S. may set up inside or outside the UN and no matter what sanctions it may impose on the DPRK through it, the DPRK’s strategic strength to protect its sovereignty will never allow a moment’s standstill and stagnation.

The just international community should never allow the U.S. moves to form a party seriously encroaching upon the sovereignty and security of a sovereign state and wantonly violating international law but should raise the voices of unanimous denunciation against the arch criminals disturbing global peace and stability.

Rodong Sinmun