PYONGYANG - The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday condemned the United States for imposing unilateral sanctions on the country, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"Recently, the new US administration has imposed its exclusive sanctions on the DPRK, the fifth of their kind since its assumption of office," Kim Un-chol, vice-minister for US affairs of the foreign ministry, was quoted as saying in a press statement.

The present US administration expresses its "invariable hostile intention towards the DPRK again in an accustomed and traditional way," Kim said, adding that "the US sanctions will have no effect on the DPRK's thinking and viewpoint on it in the future."

The United States needs to pay attention to the fact that there is no possibility for it to change the present strategic situation between the two countries in its favor, no matter how Washington may mobilize all its sanctions, said Kim.

"Now that the present US administration has clarified its stand to be hostile towards the DPRK to the last, we will also take proper measures to counter it with patience for any length of time," Kim added.