North Korea slams US over fresh sanctions

North Korea Sunday rebuked the US for imposing fresh sanctions on Pyongyang for its alleged hacking of Sony Pictures.

The US Friday announced retaliatory sanctions on Pyongyang in response to the alleged cyber attack on Sony after it produced a comedy film "The Interview" about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Yonhap News Agency reported.

North Korea has denied involvement in the hacking.

"The persistent and unilateral action taken by the White House to impose sanctions against North Korea patently proves that it is still not away from inveterate repugnancy and hostility towards Pyongyang," a foreign ministry spokesman said.

The spokesman said the sanctions will not weaken the country as it will prove counter-productive and will further strengthen North Korea's pursuit of "songun" policy, the military-first doctrine pursued by Kim's late father Kim Jong-il.

US President Barack Obama Friday signed an order, imposing new sanctions against North Korea in response to what he called Pyongyang's "numerous provocations," particularly the latest cyber attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment.

The sanctions targeted three entities -- Reconnaissance General Bureau, Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation and Korea Tangun Trading Corporation, as well as 10 individuals who work for those entities, denying them access to the US financial system and banning them from doing transactions with US citizens.