Stung North Korea Threatens Retaliation Over Sanctions, Hints at Possible Attack

Stung by onerous new sanctions from the United Nations Security Council, North Korea on Monday threatened retaliation “thousands of times” and hinted at a possible attack on the United States.

In its first major response to the sanctions drafted by the United States and adopted on Saturday, North Korea said it would never relinquish its missile and nuclear arsenals and called the penalties a panicky American-led response to its growing military might.

The North Korean response, in statements from its official news agency, foreign minister and United Nations mission, suggested that the country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, was doubling down on his goal of developing a nuclear-armed missile that could hit the continental United States.

The warnings began with a statement from North Korea’s official news agency, threatening to make the United States “pay the price for its crime thousands of times,” referring to the new sanctions.

“There is no bigger mistake than the United States believing that its land is safe across the ocean,” the news agency said.

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