North Korea on Sunday rejected a U.N. Security Council resolution sanctioning the communist nation for recent missile tests and warned the measure was a prelude to a renewed Korean War.

The North also said it would "bolster its war deterrent for self-defence," a typical phrase often used to refer to the country's nuclear weapons program.

After 10 days of debate, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a resolution Saturday condemning North Korea's multiple missile launches on July 5. The council demanded that North Korea "suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile program" and re-establish a moratorium on missile launches. It strongly urged North Korea to return to six-party talks on its nuclear program, which have been stalled since last year.

The resolution bans all U.N. member states from selling material or technology for missiles or weapons of mass destruction to North Korea, and from receiving missiles, banned weapons or technology from Pyongyang.

"Our republic vehemently denounces and roundly refutes the 'resolution,' a product of the U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK, and will not be bound to it in the least," the North's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. North Korea is known officially as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned North Korea could face more action if it doesn't return nuclear talks.

"If they do not want to face some of the additional pressures that can be brought to bear on them, then I think that they will eventually realize that they've got to come back to the six party talks," Rice said Sunday the Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.

North Korea's U.N. Ambassador, Pak Gil Yon, made a rare appearance in the Security Council chamber for the vote Saturday. Speaking afterward, he accused the council of "unjustifiable and gangster-like" action aimed at isolating his country.

An earlier draft of the resolution had included the threat of military force, but that was removed after China - the North's main benefactor - threatened to veto the measure.

Still, the North said the resolution "constitutes a prelude to the provocation of the second Korean war." It insisted Pyongyang had the legal right to launch missiles.

"Only the strong can defend justice in the world today where the jungle law prevails. Neither the U.N. nor anyone else can protect us," the North said.

The Foreign Ministry said Washington had "made mockery of the DPRK's true heart and sincere efforts to realize the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner through dialogue and negotiations."

Pyongyang has boycotted international talks on its nuclear programs since November, protesting U.S. financial restrictions for the North's alleged counterfeiting, money laundering and other illegal activity.

North Korea agreed at the talks in September to abandon its nuclear programs in exchange for security guarantees and aid, but no progress has been made on implementing the accord.

China again urged the North to return to the nuclear talks.

"We hope all parties concerned will take this as a turning point and make joint efforts to resume six-nation talks as early as possible," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said in a statement on the ministry Web site.

The resolution culminated 10 days of difficult negotiations and came after a last-minute compromise between Japan, the United States and Britain, who wanted a tough statement, and Russia and China, who favoured weaker language.

Japan, which considers itself a potential target of North Korean missiles, sponsored the initial resolution. But Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso praised the Security Council for sending "a resolute message by the international community."

South Korea's Foreign Minister urged the North to "accept the severe and unified message of the international community ... and refrain from aggravating the situation."