U.S. President Barack Obama deemed North Korea and its ongoing of threats as a an official “national emergency” by executive order in a letter sent to Congress on Monday.

His executive order is a continuation of the North’s status as an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to several aspects of the U.S. including national security, foreign policy and its economy according to Yonhap News Agency.

Most recently, the United Nations (UN) opened a human rights office in Seoul, South Korea Monday and so far North Korea has openly criticized the move.

It has also been reported by North Korean news agencies that the regime sentenced two South Koreans to hard labor for life in retaliation for alleged spying on behalf of the U.S. and South Korea.