Seoul, South Korea - North Korea announced on Saturday that it plans to implement countermeasures against individuals and organizations responsible for imposing sanctions on the regime. This statement follows the recent sanctions by the United States targeting a North Korean cyber espionage group and eight agents of Pyongyang, coordinated with South Korea, Japan, and Australia.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the sanctions were in response to North Korea's spy satellite launch last week. The North Korean foreign ministry, in a statement released through the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), emphasized the country's right to defend its sovereignty, security, and interests against what it perceives as encroachments by hostile forces. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea's official name, asserts its stance in the face of increasing international pressure.
Pyongyang's response, as reported by KCNA, includes plans to target individuals, institutions, and organizations from the U.S. and its allies involved in devising and implementing the sanctions policy toward North Korea.