"The government highly praises and welcomes the step that the U.S. has taken in imposing sanctions on human rights violators in the North," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "This demonstrates its commitment to strengthening sanctions on the North on multiple fronts."

The ministry placed an emphasis on the fact that the latest sanctions have specified who are most responsible for the dire human rights situations in the North.

"The government expects that it will lead the world to better understand the systemic and extensive human rights violations going on in the North, while contributing much to advancing discussion in the international community and beefing up related countermeasures," it said.

The ministry said it strongly urges Pyongyang to listen to global calls and improve its human rights situations, while vowing to keep working with other countries on the matter.

A foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity later in the day that the detailed personal information, such as dates of birth, on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and others is a strong message that Washington is keeping close watch on perpetrators and will hold them accountable at a later date. This, he claimed, can serve as a warning not to commit human rights abuses going forward.

"The latest sanctions are expected to go beyond a symbolic move toward actually deterring (human rights violations)," he said.

"They will have a valid impact that could raise the awareness of the severity in the North's human rights conditions in the U.N. and international community and induce concerted measures." (Yonhap)