Reuters - North Korea on Tuesday rejected a U.N. Security Council resolution imposing tougher sanctions and said the United States would soon face the �greatest pain� it had ever experienced.


The Security Council unanimously stepped up sanctions against North Korea on Monday over the country�s sixth and most powerful nuclear test, imposing a ban on its textile exports and capping imports of crude oil.


�My delegation condemns in the strongest terms and categorically rejects the latest illegal and unlawful U.N. Security Council resolution,� Pyongyang�s ambassador, Han Tae Song, told the U.N.-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.


Han accused the U.S. administration of being �fired up for political, economic, and military confrontation,� and of being �obsessed with the wild game of reversing the DPRK�s development of nuclear force which has already reached the completion phase�.


North Korea was condemned globally for its latest nuclear test on Sept. 3, which it said was of an advanced hydrogen bomb.


The Democratic People�s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is �ready to use a form of ultimate means�, Han said without elaborating.


�The forthcoming measures by DPRK will make the U.S. suffer the greatest pain it ever experienced in its history,� he said.


U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood took the floor to say that the Security Council resolution �frankly sent a very clear and unambiguous message to the regime that the international community is tired, is no longer willing to put up provocative behavior from this regime�.


�My hope is the regime will hear the message loud and clear and it will choose a different path,� Wood said.


�We call on all countries to vigorously implement these new sanctions and all other existing sanctions,� he added.

Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by John Stonestreet and Andrew Heavens