DUSHANBE, January 7, 2016, Asia-Plus — The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday condemned a North Korean nuclear test and said it would immediately start work on new “measures” against the country.
The statement, which followed an emergency meeting, came after leaders around the globe slammed Pyongyang”s claims of a hydrogen bomb test and the potential threat it poses. The council called it a violation of previous resolutions and a “clear threat to international peace and security.”
North Korea earlier announced that it conducted a miniaturized hydrogen bomb test. If verified, the trial raises the politically isolated country”s nuclear capabilities and potential threat to the wider world, particularly if the bomb could be attached to a missile.
“With the perfect success of our historic H-bomb, we have joined the rank of advanced nuclear states,” North Korean state television said, according to
AFP
. It added that the test was “an act of self-defense” against the U.S.
News of the test claims — which experts have not yet verified — quickly drew condemnation from North Korea”s nearest neighbors and beyond.
The White House said any kind of nuclear test is””provocative and a flagrant violation” of U.S. Security Council resolutions, according to Reuters.
NBC News
reports that China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the government in Beijing “strongly opposes” it and urged North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to “stop any action which could worsen the situation.”
South Korean President Park Geun-hye was quick to criticize her northern neighbor, calling the test a “grave provocation to this country”s security,” according to
CNBC
.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denounced the act, calling it a “grave threat to our nation and one we cannot accept,” according to
NBC
.
Fellow Security Council member Russia also condemned the bomb test, saying it would amount to a gross violation of international law if confirmed,
Reuters
reported. The news agency also said Russia”s U.N. envoy called for “cool heads” and a “proportionate response.”
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the North Korean claim “deeply troubling” and “profoundly destabilizing for regional security.”
“This test once again violates numerous Security Council resolutions despite the united call by the international community to cease such activities,” he told reporters. “It is also a grave contravention of the international norm against nuclear testing.”
