New US sanctions against North Korea will violate a UN statement issued after the sinking of a South Korean warship¹, Pyongyang has said.

平壤已经表示，美国对朝鲜采取的新制裁措施将违反一项联合国声明，该声明是联合国在韩国战舰沉没之后发布的。

It added that the US and South Korea's plans to hold joint² military exercises（军事演习） posed a major danger to the region.

The new sanctions were announced by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a visit to South Korea.

Mrs Clinton has now arrived in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, to attend a regional meeting of foreign ministers.

Tensions between the two Koreas were raised in March, when the South Korean warship the Cheonan was sunk with the loss of 46 lives.

A multinational³ investigation⁴ team found the ship had been torpedoed⁵（用鱼雷袭击） by North Korea - a conclusion that Pyongyang rejects.

North Korean official Ri Tong-il, a member of Pyongyang's delegation⁶ at a regional security forum⁷ in Hanoi, said the US decision to impose（强加，利用） new sanctions - announced on Wednesday - violated a statement from the UN about the sinking that was issued earlier this month.

The UN statement held back from directly blaming North Korea, but condemned⁸ the sinking as a threat to regional security.

It called for "appropriate and peaceful measures" against those responsible, and called for direct talks between all parties about tensions in the area.

Ri Tong-il said: "The decision to hold military drills（军事训练） is a major danger for the security of the region"

He also criticised the US-South Korean joint military exercises in the region.

The first manoeuvres（策略，调动） , in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) for four days from Sunday, will involve the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington and 20 other ships and submarines, as well as 100 aircraft and 8,000 personnel. Later exercises will take place in the Yellow Sea.