WASHINGTON/SEOUL, Shawwal 02, 1437, July 07, 2016, SPA -- North Korea warned on Thursday it is planning its toughest response to what it deemed a "declaration of war" by the United States after Washington blacklisted the nuclear-armed country's leader, Kim Jong Un, for human rights abuses, according to Reuters. Pyongyang described the sanctioning of Kim as a "hideous crime," according to North Korea's official KCNA news agency. "This is the worst hostility and an open declaration of war against (North Korea) as it has gone far beyond the confrontation over the human rights issue," the statement said. In response, the U.S. government urged Pyongyang to refrain from statements and actions that raise tensions in the region. The United States imposed its first sanctions targeting any North Koreans for rights abuses on Wednesday, blacklisting Kim along with 10 other people and five government ministries and departments. The action affects assets within U.S. jurisdiction. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a former South Korean foreign minister, hopes China will urge its ally North Korea to cooperate internationally on human rights, his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said on Thursday in New York. --SPA 00:22 LOCAL TIME 21:22 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w