North Korea on Sunday slammed the latest US measures against it as an "act of war", after US President Donald Trump announced the "heaviest sanctions ever" on the nuclear-armed regime.

The measures, which Washington says are aimed at forcing Pyongyang to roll back its banned nuclear and weapons programmes, target more than 50 North Korea-linked shipping companies, vessels and trade businesses.

"Like we have said repeatedly, we consider any restrictions on us as an act of war," the North's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run KCNA news agency.

It also vowed a retaliation if the US "really has the nerves" to confront the North in a "rough" manner.

Trump warned on Friday that, if the latest sanctions don't work, the US would "go to phase two" that "may be a very rough thing", without elaborating.

In response, the North also vowed to "subdue the US in our own way" if provoked, saying "Trump is trying to change us with such sanctions and hostile remarks, which shows his ignorance about us".

"We already have our own nuclear weapon -- a treasured sword of justice to protect us from such threats from the US," the foreign ministry said.

The comment came hours before the North's senior delegation led by Kim Yong Chol, a blacklisted military general, is set to attend the closing ceremony of the South's Winter Olympics, which will also be attended by Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump.

Russia hacked Olympics computers, turned blame on N Korea: report
Washington (AFP) Feb 25, 2018 - Russian military spies hacked hundreds of computers used by Winter Olympics organizers and tried to make it look like the work of North Korea, the Washington Post reported Sunday, quoting US intelligence sources.

South Korea had previously announced that it was investigating the failure of several Olympic-linked internet sites and broadcast systems just as the opening ceremonies were taking place on February 9.

The Post reported that Russia's GRU military intelligence agency managed to take control in early February of 300 computers linked to the Olympic organization.

As a result, many attendees were unable to print their tickets for the ceremony, leaving empty seats.

It said the Russians had hacked South Korean computer routers and inserted a form of "malware" that allowed them to gather data and paralyze the network.

The Russians used a North Korean internet provider to make it appear the attack originated in North Korea, in what is known as a "false flag" operation, the Post said.

While American officials quoted in the article were unable to say whether the hackers had activated the malware, they said the cyber attack against the Games -- from which Russia's team was excluded for doping -- was worrisome.

Some analysts believe the cyber attack was retribution for that ban. Some Russian athletes were allowed to compete, but only under the designation of "Olympic Athletes from Russia."

The Winter Games saw dramatic gestures aimed at easing the raw tensions dividing the two Koreas, as both countries' athletes marched together during the opening ceremonies, and they fielded a single women's ice hockey team.

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un made several high-profile appearances in the early days of the Games, and a large squad of North Korean cheerleaders drew intense interest.

Finally, at the Games' closing ceremony Sunday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean General Kim Yong Chol -- a man considered a "war criminal" by many in the South for his role in two deadly attacks on Southern targets -- exchanged a very public handshake.

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Japan reports suspected North Korea sanctions breach
Tokyo (AFP) Feb 21, 2018
Japan has reported a new suspected sanctions violation by Pyongyang to the UN after spotting an apparent cargo transfer between a ship marked with Chinese characters and a North Korean vessel, the Japanese foreign ministry said. The incident is the third time this year that Tokyo has reported a cargo transfer by a North Korean vessel in violation of UN sanctions over Pyongyang's banned nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Japan's foreign ministry said late Tuesday a military patrol plane an ... read more