FM Spokesman Slashes at U.S. Persistent Sanctions against DPRK

Pyongyang, September 1 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry gave the following answer to the question raised by KCNA Thursday as regards the U.S. persistent sanctions and pressure on the DPRK:
    A deputy assistant of the National Security Council of the White House in a press conference on August 29 took issue with the DPRK over its just measure for bolstering nuclear deterrence including the test-fire of SLBM, claiming that sanctions would be applied to the DPRK and it is necessary to put stronger pressure on it.
    The U.S. seems to regard sanctions and pressure as "cure-all", an indication of its ignorance.
    The DPRK has ranked itself among nuclear powers despite unprecedented harsh sanctions for decades as it has consistently embodied the spirit of self-reliance and self-development from A to Z.
    Denuclearization touted by the high-ranking official of the White House proves that the U.S. has not yet woken up.
    The DPRK's line of simultaneously developing the two fronts is not a stop-gap measure to cope with the rapidly changing situation but a strategic line to be constantly held fast to as long as the imperialists persist in nuclear threat and arbitrary practices. The DPRK will never step back.
    Now is the time for the U.S. to clearly understand the strategic position of the DPRK and act and speak prudently.
    If the U.S. acts rashly, crying out for "sanctions", it would entail more miserable consequences. -0-