North Korea says new sanctions cannot block development, KCNA reports

North Korea said on Monday it would not tolerate what it called hostile forces' efforts to curb Pyongyang's cooperation with other countries, adding that no new sanctions would block its development or defence of its core interests, state media KCNA reported, citing a Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

The statement accused the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), a group of 11 UN members that tracks and reports violations and evasion of sanctions, of fabricating a report aimed at portraying what North Korea described as normal, mutually beneficial economic co-operation between itself and other countries as illegal, KCNA said.

The MSMT said in a report issued on September 16 that North Korea continued to send labourers overseas in breach of UN Security Council resolutions, generating an estimated $450 million to $800 million in 2025 to fund its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

It estimated that 35,600 to 101,280 North Korean workers remain active in at least 17 countries, mainly China and Russia, and called for countries to immediately enforce UN resolutions by repatriating North Korean workers and refusing new work permits.

MSMT participating states include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the report said.