N.K. slams UNSC statement condemning its latest missile launch

PYONGYANG -18 September 2017: North Korea blasted the United Nations Security Council's statement that condemned yet another firing of a mid-range missile late last week, warning that beefing up international pressure will only accelerate its move toward the "completion of nuclear force."

"The increased moves of the US and its vassal forces to impose sanctions and pressure on the DPRK will only increase our pace towards the ultimate completion of the state nuclear force," the North's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) according to Yonhap News Agency on Monday.

DPRK stands for the regime's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The reaction from the foreign ministry is in response to the statement of strong denounciation issued by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in the wake of Pyongyang's missile launch on Friday.

North Korea fired an intermediate ballistic missile from its capital that crossed over Japan. It flew around 3,700 kilometers while reaching a maximum altitude of some 770 km.

It follows the North's sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3, which is assessed as the most powerful one carried out by the reclusive regime so far.

The foreign ministry said it is a "foolish dream" to hope that harsher sanctions can make it stop advancing its nuclear weapons and becoming a nuclear state.

It called the UN-led move "a vicious, unethical and inhume act" that aims to bring down the regime, warning that the allies of the US should be ready for the day when the "balance of power" is reached between the North and the US.