United Nations (CNN) -- The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted on Tuesday a resolution condemning North Korea's recent rocket launch and expanding existing U.N. sanctions.
"This resolution demonstrates to North Korea that there are unanimous and significant consequences for its flagrant violation of its obligations under previous resolutions," the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, told reporters after the vote.
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"More importantly, the provisions of this resolution -- both new sanctions and the tightening and expanding of existing measures -- concretely help to impede the growth of North Korea's (weapons of mass destruction) program and reduce the threat of proliferation by targeting entities and individuals directly involved in these programs," she said.
Specifically, the resolution imposes sanctions on a handful of North Korean companies, a bank and its space agency. Four individuals also were added to the blacklist.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects a military factory in this undated picture released by the Korean Central News Agency on Friday, May 17. North Korea launched several short-range guided missiles into the sea off the Korean Peninsula's east coast May 18, South Korea's semi-official news agency Yonhap cited the South Korean Defense Ministry as saying.
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Well-wishers mob a smiling North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (without hat) on Wednesday after the successful launch of the country's first satellite.
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Pyongyang has previously pressed ahead with rocket launches and nuclear tests despite international sanctions.
In December, North Korea angered many in the international community by launching a long-range rocket that appeared to put a satellite in orbit, a breakthrough for the reclusive, nuclear-equipped state.
Read more: South Korean officials: North Korean rocket could hit U.S. mainland
The rocket successfully blasted off from a space center on the country's west coast and delivered a satellite into its intended orbit, the North Korean regime said. The launch followed a botched attempt in April and came just days after Pyongyang suggested a planned launch could be delayed.
Many nations, such as the United States and South Korea, considered the rocket launch to be a cover for testing ballistic missile technology. Pyongyang has insisted its aim was to place a scientific satellite in space "for peaceful purposes."
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"Today's resolution makes clear that there will be an increasingly steep price to pay if North Korea again chooses confrontation with this council and the international community," Rice said.
North Korea's Foreign Ministry issued a response to the Security Council's action, saying it will maintain its military power and continue to launch "peaceful satellites."
"We will continue to expand and strengthen our self-defensive military power, including nuclear deterrence, to cope with U.S.'s scheme of putting (on) sanction pressures," said the statement, which was carried by KCNA, North Korea's state news agency.
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North Korea also said it is open to peace talks but would not discuss giving up its nuclear weapons.
"In the future, there could be talks about the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, but there won't be any dialogue regarding (the) denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the statement said.
South Korea said its northern neighbor should "halt any additional provocation, and it should clarify its effort of denuclearization through specific action."
South Korea also said that it did not see any unusual movement from North Korea after the resolution was passed.
"As of 10 a.m. (Wednesday) Korea time (8 p.m. ET Tuesday), no unusual movements were observed," said Unification Ministry spokeswoman Park Soo-jin.
North Korea says new nuclear test will be part of fight against U.S.
CNN's KJ Kwon contributed to this report.
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Kim Jong Un visits the Ministry of People's Security on Wednesday, May 1, as part of the country's May Day celebrations.
A North Korea soldier gestures to stop photographers from taking photos from a Chinese tour boat as other soldiers look on along the North Korean bank of the Yalu River near the town of Sinuiji across the Chinese city of Dandong in Liaoning province, China, on Saturday, April 6.
North Korean soldiers gather by the docks in Sinuiju near the Chinese border on Thursday, April 4.
North Korean soldiers patrol along the Yalu River in Sinuiju across the border from the Chinese city of Dandong on April 4.
Kim Jong Un is briefed by his generals in this undated photo. On the wall is a map titled "Plan for the strategic forces to target mainland U.S."
Kim Jong Un works during a briefing in this undated photo.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects drills by the Korean People's Army navy at an undisclosed location on North Korea's east coast on March 25 in a photo from the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim makes his way to an observation post with North Korean soldiers on March 25.
Kim uses a pair of binoculars to look south from the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island on March 7.
Kim is greeted by the family of a soldier as he inspects Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island in South Hwanghae province on Thursday, March 7, in a photo from the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Kim is surrounded by soldiers during a visit to the Mu Islet Hero Defense Detachment near South Korea's Taeyonphyong Island on March 7. North Korea has escalated its bellicose rhetoric, threatening nuclear strikes, just before the U.N. Security Council passed tougher sanctions against the secretive nation on March 7.
Kim arrives at Jangjae Islet by boat to meet with soldiers of the Jangjae Islet Defense Detachment near Taeyonphyong Island in South Hwanghae province on March 7.
Soldiers in the North Korean army train at an undisclosed location on March 6.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, poses with chiefs of branch social security stations in this undated picture released by North Korea's official news agency on November 27.
Kim celebrates with staff from the satellite control center in Pyongyang, North Korea, during the launch of a rocket carrying a satellite, in a photo released by the official North Korean news agency on December 12.
A crowd watches as statues of the nation's founder, Kim Il Sung, and his son Kim Jong Il are unveiled during a ceremony in Pyongyang on April 13, 2012. Photos from North Korea are rare, but the country was on full display in April 2012 as it celebrated the 100th birthday of Kim Il Sung.
A North Korean soldier stands guard in front of an UNHA III rocket at the Tangachai-ri Space Center on April 8, 2012.
In April 2012, Pyongyang launched a long-range rocket, which broke apart and fell into the sea. The UNHA III rocket is pictured on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
A closer look at the UNHA III rocket on its launch pad in Tang Chung Ri, North Korea.
A military vehicle participates in a parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
North Koreans wave flags in front of portraits of Kim Il Sung, left, and his son Kim Jong Il during celebrations to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean soldiers relax at the end of an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.
Kim Jong Un applauds as he watches a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
A North Korean soldier stands on a balcony in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean soldiers march during a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
Soldiers board a bus outside a theater in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean performers sit below a screen showing images of leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
North Korean soldiers salute during a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012.
Kim Jong Un visits the Rungna People's Pleasure Ground, which is under construction in Pyongyang, in a photo released on July 3, 2012, by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency.
North Korean soldiers listen to a speech during an official ceremony attended by leader Kim Jong Un at a stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.
Members of a North Korean military band gather following an official ceremony at the Kim Il Sung stadium in Pyongyang on April 14, 2012.
North Korean military personnel watch a performance in Pyongyang on April 16, 2012.
A North Korean controller is seen along the railway line between Pyongyang and North Pyongan province on April 8, 2012.
A North Korean military honor guard stands at attention at Pyongyang's airport during a diplomatic visit on May 2, 2001.
The Unha-3 rocket carrying "the second version of satellite Kwangmyongsong-3" lifts off Wednesday morning from the Sohae Space Center in North Korea's western Cholsan County.
Kim Jong Un monitors the rocket launch from a room at North Korea's satellite control center in Cholsan County.
Technicians monitor the launch at the control center. The event allowed North Korea to flex its military and technological muscle on the world stage.
Kim rises to applaud the successful launch, a big technological victory for North Korea in the wake of an embarrassing failed launch in April.
The Wednesday morning launch is seen from multiple angles on a large screen at the satellite control center in Cholsan County.
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