The chief of the External Policy Office of the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued on February 23 the following statement entitled "Illegal conspiratorial moves for anti-DPRK sanctions will prompt the DPRK's counteraction to defend its sovereign right":

Recently the US and its following forces held a confab called a meeting of the steering committee of the "multilateral sanctions monitoring team" in Washington DC and talked about the promotion of the implementation of the UN "sanctions resolutions" to cope with the nuclear and missile "threats" from the DPRK.

The "multilateral sanctions monitoring team", which was formed by the states that do only harmful things, far from contributing to international peace and security, is nothing but an illegal, illegitimate and criminal ghost group in terms of justification for existence and purpose.

We sternly warn that the anachronistic acts of the hostile forces, who are foolishly attempting to block the DPRK’s exercise of its legitimate right, taking issue with this unreasonably, contrary to the recognized principles of international law in which respect for sovereignty and non-interference in other's internal affairs form the core, might bring about serious adverse effects they will find it hard to cope with.

The US should know that however hard it may use diplomacy and blame its servants, it can never save the worn-out anti-DPRK sanctions mechanism from the miserable fate and that the more closely it clings to the sanctions tools, the more greatly it will suffer difficulty and inconvenience, not the DPRK.

Availing itself of this opportunity, the DPRK clarifies once again its stand on the issue of sanctions. The lifting of sanctions through negotiations has not long been a matter of concern for the DPRK which has no sanctions to be lessened and added, and is not on its agenda.

The US barbarous sanctions have made the DPRK learn a more perfect way to survive, live by its own efforts and be strong despite the harshest external environment and have become a decisive factor causing it to hasten the buildup of great strength, which no one can ignore, before anything else.

The DPRK will neither pine for the lifting of sanctions, nor overlook the provocations of the US and its vassal states to encroach upon its legitimate sovereignty under the pretext of implementing sanctions, but will strongly counter them with resolute actions.

The hostile forces’ illegal conspiratorial moves for anti-DPRK sanctions will prompt the DPRK's counteraction to defend its sovereign right and the conspirators will have to pay dearly.