North Korea Threatens South Korea Over New UN Sanctions

North Korea has threatened to attack South Korea if the country participates in new UN sanctions against the North.

The reclusive nation declared a boycott this week of all dialogue aimed at ending its nuclear program. It also stated that Seoul joining in the new UN sanctions would be a “declaration of war.”

The UN Security Council recently condemned North Korea for a December long-range missile launch, reports NBC News.

Washington also brought additional economic restrictions following Pyongyang’s rocket launch in December. Friday saw a third straight day of rhetoric from the world’s most isolated country. The North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea stated, referring to the South:

” ‘Sanctions’ mean war and a declaration of war against us. If the puppet group of traitors takes a direct part in the U.N. ‘sanctions,’ the DPRK [North Korea] will take strong physical counter-measures against it.”

The warning was carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. It also came after North Korea’s top military body threatened to conduct a third nuclear test. It also threatened to boost its ability to strike the United States.

White House spokesman Jay Carney responded to the threats against the US, saying that more tests “would only increase Pyongyang’s isolation.” Al Jazeera notes that Carney added:

“North Korea’s statement is needlessly provocative and a test would be a significant violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.”

Seoul has not yet responded to the threats by North Korea to declare war. They did speak about the recent UN sanctions, saying that it will look to see if there are further sanctions if can implement along with the United States. It added that it will focus for now on how it can follow Security Council resolutions.