North Korea may sever its only official channel of diplomatic communication with the United States through its permanent mission to the United Nations in New York, state media announced on Monday.

The claim follows the designation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, several top officials and government bodies under recent U.S. Department of Treasury sanctions for human rights violations. North Korea rejected the sanctions and called for them to be removed.

“Now that the U.S. refused to comply with the DPRK’s demand for the immediate withdrawal of the sanctions measure, the DPRK government notified the U.S. that it would take practical actions against the U.S. stage