North Korea vows fight against US sanction

In a lengthy editorial, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper lauded North Korean leader Kim Jong Il for his "iron-like pluck and grit" and for trying to build a powerful military that no enemy would dare confront, the North's Korean Central News Agency said.

The newspaper also said the North displayed its determination to "mercilessly punish aggressors trying to pick a fight with us" a possible reference to its Oct. 9 nuclear test that sent jitters across the globe.

On Saturday, army chief of staff Kim Yong Chun accused the United States of demanding that North Korea unilaterally end its nuclear program while refusing to lift financial restrictions the US imposed on the communist government for its alleged money laundering and counterfeiting of $100 bills.

The nuclear talks held in Beijing this week after a 13-month break due to a North Korean boycott over the US sanctions ended Friday without an agreement to move ahead on the North's nuclear disarmament. Last year, the North pledged to disarm in exchange for security guarantees and aid.

Negotiators said the North Koreans refused to talk about their nuclear weapons program until the US lifts its financial restrictions.