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Tillerson Offers Olive Branch to N Korea After New UN Sanctions, Kim Threatens Retaliation

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Kim Jong Un has responded to international sanctions against his country demanding "justice" and saying he'll take action in response to President Donald Trump's efforts to isolate the country.

Kim did not elaborate on what action he plans to take, but he rejected suggestions from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that talks between the United States and North Korea could only proceed if Kim halted the country's nuclear testing.

Over the weekend, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a resolution imposing $1 billion of economic sanctions against North Korea.

The U.N.'s new sanctions could dry up the last bit of leader Kim Jong Un's resources, which could lead to more starvation and collapse for the North Korean people.

President Trump praised the U.N. announcement on Twitter, expressing his gratitude and restating the duty of United Nations. "The United Nations Resolution is the single largest economic sanctions package ever on North Korea. Over one billion dollars in cost to N.K."

The sanctions include a ban on exports worth more than $1B, one-third of North Korea's total exports, which were valued around $3B last year.

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said further action was required against the communist regime.

"The United States is taking and will continue to take prudent defensive measures to protect ourselves and our allies," said Haley.

Meanwhile, Haley complimented the cooperation of the Chinese government. Previously, Haley and President Trump both strongly criticized China for taking a "soft tone" on North Korea.

On Saturday, China's ambassador to the United Nations welcomed the Security Council's unanimous adoption of tough new sanctions on Pyongyang:

"China has always been firmly opposed to chaos and conflict on the peninsula. The fact that the Council adopted this resolution unanimously demonstrates that the international community is united in each position regarding the nuclear issue of the peninsula."

As U.S. Secretary of the State Rex Tillerson continues his Asia trip this week, the U.S. government is looking forward to serious dialogue to further unite the world against North Korea's growing missile and nuclear development threat.

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