South Korea expressed "deep regret" Wednesday over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s vow to strengthen its nuclear deterrence in defiance of the expanded UN sanctions.

Hours after the UN Security Council condemned the DPRK's December 12 satellite launch, the DPRK's foreign ministry vowed to "take physical actions to strengthen self-defense military capabilities including nuclear deterrence" and declared an end to denuclearization talks.

"We express our deep regret (over the statement)," Park Soo- jin, a spokeswoman for Seoul's unification ministry, told reporters during a press briefing. "We urge North Korea (DPRK) to stop making threats of additional provocation and make denuclearization efforts through concrete action."

Earlier in the day, the 15-nation UN body adopted a new resolution demanding the DPRK "immediately comply fully with its obligations" under previous resolutions banning it from conducting missile and nuclear tests.

The DPRK has defended its right to launch a satellite for peaceful and scientific purposes, while its critics, including the United States and South Korea, saw the launch as a disguised ballistic missile test.

South Korea's foreign ministry issued a statement welcoming the adoption of the resolution 2087, which condemned the use of ballistic missile technology by Pyongyang in violation of previous resolutions.

"We should note that the Security Council expressed its determination to take significant action in the event of a further DPRK launch or nuclear test," the ministry said in a statement.