North Korea says it would use nukes only against U.S.

Mr. Ri’s statement rejected assertions by some Security Council members that North Korea’s military programs constituted a global threat and said they were instead a legitimate option for self-defense “in the face of a clear and real nuclear threat posed by the U.S.”

If the U.S. attacks North Korea, the country “is ready to teach the U.S. a severe lesson with its nuclear strategic force,” the statement said. Other countries were not being threatened unless they joined the U.S. in a military attack, it said.

North Korea also vowed to forge ahead with its nuclear and military programs, in a statement from its mission to the U.N. In the statement, North Korea blamed the U.S. for the sanctions and criticized the countries that had endorsed the resolution.