North Korea denounced the latest U.N. sanctions imposed for December's long-range rocket launch as a "grave obstacle" to its efforts to rebuild the tattered economy, saying such sanctions won't work and will only harden its resolve to further strengthen its self-defense power.

Last month, the U.N. Security Council toughened sanctions on the communist nation for carrying out a long-range rocket launch in December in violation of U.N. resolutions over concern such a firing could be used to develop missile technology.

The sanctions "are composed of hostile measures aimed at hampering the economic development of our nation as well as the improvement of people's living and consolidation of our defensive power," the North's main newspaper Rodong Sinmun said in an article.

The sanctions posed "a grave obstacle to our efforts to build an economy in which people do not need to tighten their belts," it said.

The newspaper also accused the U.S. of leading the outside world's hostile actions toward the country, saying the U.S. and its allies are imposing "the most unfair and vicious" sanctions in all sectors in North Korea, including trade, finance, investment, real estate, insurance, transportation and mail shipments.

The U.S. now is limiting trades of almost all kinds of goods, even those necessary for the livelihoods of ordinary North Koreans, it said.

The on-going sanctions are pressing the North to strengthen its defensive power, another article on the Monday issue also claimed, stressing the country's pledge to step up "war deterrence power."

The latest in a series of the country's denouncements of the U.N. resolution came amid rampant speculations that the country may conduct another nuclear test in the coming weeks.

Following the adoption of the resolution in January, the North has repeatedly threatened to detonate a nuclear device. South Korean officials said the country is technically ready to conduct a nuclear test upon approval from the North Korean leader.

Meanwhile, a pro-North Korea newspaper published by North Koreans in Japan carried an opinion article, urging South Korea's President-elect Park Geun-hye to promote economic cooperation with the North.

The Choson Sinbo article said, "Mutual understanding between the North and the South, and heading jointly toward unification and prosperity are what Koreans call for ... the Park Geun-hye administration should answer to whether it will follow the path or not." (Yonhap News)