N.Korea 'Unperturbed' by Sanctions

North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun daily last Saturday grandly dismissed UN sanctions against the impoverished country, asking whether the international community believed the "self-reliant" North Korean "will even bat an eye."

In an editorial, the daily said, "It is silly and ridiculous for the hostile forces to call for sanctions and a blockade against us." It added North Koreans have not tightened their belts or built "matchless defense capabilities" for the sake of "meager assurances or insignificant concessions." "We will teach them a lesson by countering rifles with cannons, cannons with missiles, sanctions with retaliation, and nuclear weapons with nuclear weapons."

The Tongil Shinbo, an official weekly, on Sunday wrote the U.S. nuclear umbrella for South Korea reaffirmed by Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Barack Obama last week was "nothing but a nuclear war plan."

A South Korean official said, "There have been no concrete moves by North Korea to launch provocations yet, but we should pay attention to how the North will respond to the U.S. Navy's actual search" of North Korean ship Kangnam, which it is currently chasing.

North Korea several times declared it would respond by military means to what it calls an attempt at a "blockade."