Seoul: North Korea threatened Monday to take "resolute" action after a South Korea-led monitoring group implementing U.N. sanctions against the North over its nuclear and missile programs launched official activities. The North's threat came as the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), established by South Korea and 10 other countries in October, pledged to ensure the full implementation of U.N. sanctions against North Korea at the inaugural meeting of its steering committee last week.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the chief of the external policy office at North Korea's foreign ministry criticized the MSMT as an "illegal and criminal ghost group." The official warned that hostile forces would have to "pay a steep price" for their attempt to block North Korea's sovereign rights. "The DPRK will never thirst for a lifting of sanctions but will never overlook the provocations of the U.S. and its followers to encroach upon the legitimate sovereignty of the DPRK under the pretext of implementing sanctions and strongly counter them with resolute actions," the official stated.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The official further emphasized that negotiations for sanctions waivers are not a concern for the DPRK, which considers sanctions neither to be canceled nor added, stating it is not on their agenda.

South Korea's foreign ministry countered North Korea's claims, labeling them "self-contradictory." The ministry criticized Pyongyang for denouncing multinational efforts as illegal while it continues to violate U.N. sanctions. "It is self-contradictory and absurd for North Korea, which continues to blatantly violate international law, including U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions resolutions, to label the voluntary efforts of U.N. member states to faithfully implement the resolutions as illegal or illegitimate," the ministry said.

The ministry also assured that it would continue to cooperate with the international community to ensure the full implementation of UNSC sanctions on North Korea, including participating actively in MSMT activities. With Seoul's initiative, the 11 countries, including the United States and Japan, established the MSMT last October to continue sanctions monitoring against North Korea. This followed the disbandment of the U.N. monitoring panel in April last year due to Russia's veto.