“One of the secrets behind the victories of the Korean Revolution amid the difficulties is that we have paid special attention to the development of science and technology. We will not have any difficulties, even if our enemies introduce sanctions for 10 or 100 years,” Kim said, as quoted by North Korea’s state news agency KCNA.

The North Korean politician said that Pyongyang’s capabilities to resist foreign pressure stemmed from its self-sufficient national economy and the country’s specialists working in the research and technological spheres.

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The UN Security Council (UNSC) introduced yet another batch of tough economic sanctions, targeting, most of all, oil exports to the country on December 22, as a measure against its nuclear and missile tests.

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The move was initiated due to Pyongyang’s refusal to halt its nuclear and ballistic missile tests, thus violating the UNSC resolutions. The country explains its opposition by an alleged nuclear threat from the United States.

Amid the unprecedented escalation of the tensions on the Korean Peninsula since summer, Russia and China proposed the so-called double freeze plan: with North Korea, on one hand, halting its nuclear and missile programs, while its neighbors, on the other hand, would refrain from holding joint drills with the United States in the region.

However, the plan was met with similar reactions from both North Korea and the United States, which failed to respond it.