South Korea on Thursday hailed a US House bill on toughening sanctions against North Korea as an action that would effectively tighten the screws on the communist country and send a strong warning.

On Tuesday, US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce introduced fresh legislation significantly tightening sanctions on North Korea, including authorizing sanctions on those providing the North with crude oil and other related products.

"The inclusion of very strong and effective elements in terms of shutting out financial lines into the bill is expected to contribute to boosting the implementation regime over previous anti-North sanctions," Cho June-hyuck, spokesman at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a briefing.

"(South Korea) expects the bill would send a strong message against North Korea and put tangible sanctions pressure on the country," Cho said. 

"North Korea must clearly realize that its reckless provocations, if continued, will further consolidate the international community's will to implement sanctions and lead to far stronger punitive steps against the North," according to the spokesman.

He called on the North to give in to such international warnings and to give up its prohibited nuclear and missile programs immediately. (Yonhap)