North Korea has rejected fresh international sanctions, saying attempts by what it described as hostile forces to restrict its cooperation with other countries will not stop its development or defence interests.
The country’s Foreign Ministry made the position known on Monday through a spokesperson, with state media KCNA reporting the comments.
North Korea also accused the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, MSMT, of misrepresenting its international economic cooperation as illegal activity.
The MSMT is a group of 11 countries established to monitor and report on North Korea’s alleged violations and evasion of United Nations sanctions.
North Korea accused the group of fabricating a recent report aimed at portraying what it described as normal and mutually beneficial economic cooperation with other countries as unlawful.
The comments came after the MSMT released a report on September 16 alleging that North Korea continued to send workers overseas in violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
According to the MSMT report, an estimated 35,600 to 101,280 North Korean workers remain active in at least 17 countries, with most located in China and Russia.
The report estimated that the overseas labour programme generated between $450 million and $800 million for North Korea in 2025, with the money allegedly supporting its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.
The monitoring team called on countries to enforce existing UN resolutions by repatriating North Korean workers and refusing to issue new work permits.
The participating countries include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The MSMT said its report was intended to highlight continued efforts to evade UN sanctions and assist countries in enforcing the relevant measures.
Pyongyang, however, rejected the findings and said it would not accept attempts to restrict its relations and economic cooperation with other countries.
The Foreign Ministry maintained that additional sanctions would not prevent North Korea from pursuing its development or protecting what it considers its core interests.
The latest dispute comes amid continued international pressure over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.
Reuters reported separately that North Korea has recently reaffirmed its nuclear status and rejected calls for denuclearisation.
The country also carried out two suspected short-range ballistic missile launches on Sunday, according to South Korean and Japanese authorities, further highlighting tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
