Clinton headed to Beijing for economic talks (AP)

New US sanctions against North Korea will violate a United Nations statement issued after the sinking of a South Korean warship, a spokesman for Pyongyang said Thursday.Ri Tong Il, a spokesman for the North Korean delegation at regional security talks in Vietnam, said the measures announced Wednesday by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were "in violation" of the July 9 UN statement.Ri added that imminent naval exercises with South Korea also violated the UN statement following the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in March, with the loss of 46 lives.

South Korea pressed China Tuesday to support international efforts to punish North Korea for sinking a South Korean warship, as Pyongyang issued threats of war over Seoul's reprisals.Financial markets across Asia responded nervously to the escalating crisis, with one unconfirmed report from a group of North Korean defectors claiming that the communist state had placed its armed forces on combat alert.

North Korea on Thursday condemned imminent US-South Korea naval exercises as a threat to global peace as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Vietnam for Asia-Pacific security talks.A spokesman for the North Korean delegation in Hanoi also dismissed fresh US sanctions against the isolated communist state for its alleged sinking of a South Korean warship, saying they violated a UN statement on the incident.

North Korea on Thursday condemned imminent US-South Korea naval exercises as a threat to global peace, as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Vietnam for Asia-Pacific security talks.A spokesman for the North Korean delegation in Hanoi also dismissed fresh US sanctions against the isolated communist state for its alleged sinking of a South Korean warship, saying they violated a UN statement on the incident.

AP - U.S.

North Korea on Thursday condemned imminent US-South Korea naval exercises as a threat to global peace as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Vietnam for Asia-Pacific security talks.A spokesman for the North Korean delegation at the talks in Hanoi also dismissed fresh US sanctions against the isolated regime for its alleged sinking of a South Korean warship, saying they violated a UN statement.

The United States Wednesday unveiled new sanctions against North Korea after the sinking of a South Korean warship and said the attack could be the start of more provocations by the communist state.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the measures were designed to pile pressure on Pyongyang and prevent the regime from bankrolling its atomic programme or spreading nuclear arms.She said the measures were not directed at the North Korean people, "who have suffered too long due to the misguided and malign priorities of their government".

The United States Wednesday unveiled new sanctions against North Korea after the sinking of a South Korean warship and said the attack could be the start of more provocations by the communist state.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the measures were designed to pile pressure on Pyongyang and prevent the regime from bankrolling its atomic programme or spreading weapons of mass destruction.She said the measures were not directed at the North Korean people, "who have suffered too long due to the misguided and malign priorities of their government".