An infuriated North Korea has denounced the new United Nations sanctions imposed on the isolated state saying the punishment was an "abuse of power" and violated its "right to self-defense."

North Korea's vice foreign minister Han Song Ryol, who spoke to foreign diplomats in Pyongyang on Friday, lambasted the UN and the international community for coming up with the harsh sanctions and threatened to respond to the move without elaborating.

Like Us on Facebook

"These new UN sanctions are an abuse of power and have violated our right to self defense," Han said.

Unanimous

Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea have been added to the growing list of nations that have started executing the United Nations (UN) sanctions against North Korea in response to its recent nuclear tests.

South Korean and Japanese high-ranking officials announced last Friday that they have started to strictly implement the sanctions following Pyongyang's threat that it would retaliate against the new UN resolution that was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council last Wednesday.

Part of the punishment Japan has begun to impose on the isolated state includes banning ships that have traveled to North Korea from docking in Japanese ports.

Financial Holdings

Tokyo has also announced that it would financially cripple the belligerent state by freezing the financial holdings of groups and individuals who have been identified as providing money to Pyongyang to fund its nuclear weapons program.

Seoul authorities, on the other hand, said the sanctions would include barring North Korea from financially dealing with top aides to North's leader Kim Jong-un.

The new UN sanctions have infuriated North Korea, threatening to respond to the punishments without elaborating.

Major Blow

The new sanctions have been adopted by the UN Security Council after a 15-0 vote on Wednesday in response to North Korea's latest nuclear test it launched last Sept. 9. After a three-month deliberation between China and the rest of the council members, the new sanctions have been passed on Wednesday.

The sanctions dealt a major blow to Pyongyang after it was unanimously agreed that China would cut coal imports from Pyongyang by 60 percent or roughly estimated at $700 million by 2017. 

TagsUnited Nations resolution, UN sanctions, North Korea, Japan, South Korea, Nuclear Tests, UN Security Council, china