TOKYO (Sputnik) — The statement continues to warn the United States that all bilateral diplomatic channels would be closed if they to refuse to lift sanctions.
"The US should immediately and unconditionally retract the recent step for sanctions which dared hurt the dignity of the DPRK supreme leadership," North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement as quoted by Kyodo news agency.
On Wednesday, the United States slapped sanctions on Kim and ten more North Korean senior officials as well as five entities, including the Ministry of People's Security, for their role in human rights abuses.
Over the recent years, the North Korean leadership has been repeatedly accused of human rights violations. In 2013, the UN Human Rights Council established the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea to investigate the systematic violation of human rights in the country, with a view to ensure full accountability, in particular for violations which may amount to crimes against humanity.
