Pyongyang:North Korea has criticized a joint statement issued by the United States, South Korea, and other nations advocating for the continued enforcement of sanctions against Pyongyang's nuclear and weapons programs. The North Korean foreign ministry's spokesperson labeled the statement as a "strategic failure."

According to Yonhap News Agency, the criticism followed a declaration by 11 countries and the European Union, which reaffirmed their commitment to monitoring North Korea's actions in violation of U.N. Security Council sanctions. The joint statement also emphasized the findings of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) on North Korea's illicit activities and supported new sanctions from the U.S., Australia, and the EU targeting North Korea's cyberactivities and foreign worker dispatches meant to fund its nuclear and missile programs.

The North's spokesperson, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), accused the U.S. and its allies of denying North Korea's constitutional status and criticized them for failing to acknowledge their strategic failures. The spokesperson insisted that sanctions would not deter North Korea from maintaining its status as a nuclear weapons state.

The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team was established after a U.N. expert panel was disbanded in April 2024 due to Russia's veto of a resolution to extend its mandate. The MSMT includes countries such as South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, and Canada.