North Korea slammed the U.S. on Monday for condemning its recent launch of a spy satellite, while warning critics against pushing for “illegal” sanctions ahead of a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the launch.

Kim Son Gyong, deputy director of international organizations at the DPRK foreign ministry, criticized “the United States and its followers” for labeling its satellite launch on Nov. 21 as a “threat,” in a statement released through the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Monday.