US threatens 'tough' UN sanctions over NKorea satellite launch

The United States threatened North Korea Tuesday with "tough" UN Security Council sanctions if it goes through with a planned satellite launch.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) said it had received a shipping warning from North Korea of its intention to launch an earth observation satellite between February 8-25, in what Washington said would be "another egregious violation" of UN Security Council resolutions.

"This argues even more strongly for action by the UN Security Council and the international community to impose real consequences for the destabilizing action that the DPRK has taken, is taking, and to raise the cost to the leaders through the imposition of tough additional sanctions," said Daniel Russel, the assistant US secretary of state for Asia-Pacific affairs.