North Korea threatens war with South over UN sanctions

North Korea threatened to attack rival South Korea if Seoul joined a new round of tightened UN sanctions, as Washington unveiled more of its own economic restrictions following Pyongyang's rocket launch last month.    

In a third straight day of fiery rhetoric against regional powers, the North directed its verbal onslaught at its neighbor on Friday, saying: "'Sanctions' mean a war and a declaration of war against us."    

The reclusive North has this week declared a boycott of all dialogue aimed at ending its nuclear program and vowed to conduct more rocket and nuclear tests after the Security Council censured it for a December long-range missile launch.    

The UN Security Council unanimously condemned North Korea's December rocket launch on Tuesday and expanded existing UN sanctions.    

On Thursday, the United States slapped economic sanctions on two North Korean bank officials and a Hong Kong trading company that it accused of supporting Pyongyang's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.


REUTERS