Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of the North's ruling communist party, said the sanctions would not hurt the country which has a "self-reliant economy," warning the moves would meet unspecified retaliatory steps.

"It is ridiculous and contemptible for enemy forces to clamour for toughening sanctions and blockade against us," the daily said.

"This would not even hurt a hair of the people who have been living a self-sustaining life, living with their own means on their own land," it said.

"Our determination to strengthen our self-defensive military power hundreds of thousand folds is becoming firmer day after day," it said in a lengthy commentary titled "The nature of the Korean people."

North Korea had already vowed to build more bombs and to start a new weapons programme based on uranium enrichment in response to the sanctions.