New nuclear bomb test threat
Korea was last night feared to be preparing for a second nuclear bomb test as its leaders issued a defiant statement saying the dictatorship "wants peace but is not afraid of war".
Japan and South Korea both said the communist nation appeared to be readying for a second atomic blast and there were reports in the United States that spy satellites had picked up suspicious activity around the test site.
Christopher Hill, the US nuclear envoy, said that another test would be "a very belligerent answer" to the world, following the unanimous decision of the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions after the first underground blast.
North Korea slammed the UN measures in a foreign ministry statement released on the official Korean Central News Agency, in the central government's first reaction to the sanctions. "The resolution cannot be construed otherwise than a declaration of a war," against the North, also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," said the statement.
"It is quite nonsensical to expect the DPRK to yield to the pressure and threat of someone at this time when it has become a nuclear-weapons state."
The statement warned the North "wants peace but is not afraid of war," and that it would "deal merciless blows" against anyone who violates its sovereignty.
Mr Hill said: "We would all regard a second test as a belligerent answer on North Korea's part to the international community.
"The DPRK really has to understand that the international community is not going to accept the DPRK as a nuclear state. I think the DPRK is under some impression that once they make nuclear tests, that somehow we will respect them more. The fact of the matter is nuclear tests make us respect them less.
"We have to make it clear that North Korea will have to pay a very high price for this reckless behaviour."
The White House said that it would not be surprising if North Korea were to try another nuclear test "to be provocative".
"It would not be a good thing for them, but it certainly would not be out of character," said Tony Snow, the White House press secretary.
"We're not going to discuss any particular matters of intelligence but if you take a look at the record, I think it is reasonable to expect that the government of North Korea will do what it can to test the will, the determination and the unity of the United Nations."
A South Korean official, who asked not to be named, said Seoul was making preparations "with the possibility of a second test in mind."
Seoul has indicated that it has no intention of halting key economic projects with the North, despite concerns that they may help fund the North's nuclear and missile programmes.
South Korea's prime minister, Han Myung-sook, emphasised the need to negotiate.
"Sanctions against North Korea should be done in a way that draws North Korea to the dialogue table," he said. "There should never be a way that causes armed clashes."
China, the North's ally and biggest trading partner, warned Pyongyang against aggravating tensions.
"We hope North Korea will adopt a responsible attitude ... and come back to resolving the issue through dialogue and consultation instead of taking any actions that may further escalate or worsen the situation," Liu Jianchaoa, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said.
Chinese president Hu Jintao reportedly voiced concern about how the UN sanctions are applied. "Things must be done in such a way that they don't bring about an escalation of the situation into something uncontrollable," Mr Hu was said to have told visiting Japanese MPs.
China's worries about the possible collapse of an impoverished and highly militarised state on its border have prompted concern it may not enforce the sanctions. However, China's foreign ministry said Beijing, as a permanent member of the Security Council, always strictly enforced its resolutions.
Sergei Ivanov, the Russian defence minister, said he did not exclude the possibility of another test blast by North Korea. "Russia's reaction in that case would be the same as it was to the first nuclear explosion - negative," he said.
The US government confirmed on Monday that the blast on 9 October was nuclear. Newspapers in the US reported that the explosion was probably not fuelled by uranium, but by plutonium harvested from North Korea's small, mothballed nuclear reactor.
The report, quoting unnamed officials, suggested fears Pyongyang had developed a uranium programme - based on equipment and technology from Pakistan - were unfounded.
Korea was last night feared to be preparing for a second nuclear bomb test as its leaders issued a defiant statement saying the dictatorship "wants peace but is not afraid of war".
Japan and South Korea both said the communist nation appeared to be readying for a second atomic blast and there were reports in the United States that spy satellites had picked up suspicious activity around the test site.
Christopher Hill, the US nuclear envoy, said that another test would be "a very belligerent answer" to the world, following the unanimous decision of the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions after the first underground blast.
North Korea slammed the UN measures in a foreign ministry statement released on the official Korean Central News Agency, in the central government's first reaction to the sanctions. "The resolution cannot be construed otherwise than a declaration of a war," against the North, also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," said the statement.
"It is quite nonsensical to expect the DPRK to yield to the pressure and threat of someone at this time when it has become a nuclear-weapons state."
The statement warned the North "wants peace but is not afraid of war," and that it would "deal merciless blows" against anyone who violates its sovereignty.
Mr Hill said: "We would all regard a second test as a belligerent answer on North Korea's part to the international community.
"The DPRK really has to understand that the international community is not going to accept the DPRK as a nuclear state. I think the DPRK is under some impression that once they make nuclear tests, that somehow we will respect them more. The fact of the matter is nuclear tests make us respect them less.
"We have to make it clear that North Korea will have to pay a very high price for this reckless behaviour."
The White House said that it would not be surprising if North Korea were to try another nuclear test "to be provocative".
"It would not be a good thing for them, but it certainly would not be out of character," said Tony Snow, the White House press secretary.
"We're not going to discuss any particular matters of intelligence but if you take a look at the record, I think it is reasonable to expect that the government of North Korea will do what it can to test the will, the determination and the unity of the United Nations."
A South Korean official, who asked not to be named, said Seoul was making preparations "with the possibility of a second test in mind."
Seoul has indicated that it has no intention of halting key economic projects with the North, despite concerns that they may help fund the North's nuclear and missile programmes.
South Korea's prime minister, Han Myung-sook, emphasised the need to negotiate.
"Sanctions against North Korea should be done in a way that draws North Korea to the dialogue table," he said. "There should never be a way that causes armed clashes."
China, the North's ally and biggest trading partner, warned Pyongyang against aggravating tensions.
"We hope North Korea will adopt a responsible attitude ... and come back to resolving the issue through dialogue and consultation instead of taking any actions that may further escalate or worsen the situation," Liu Jianchaoa, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said.
Chinese president Hu Jintao reportedly voiced concern about how the UN sanctions are applied. "Things must be done in such a way that they don't bring about an escalation of the situation into something uncontrollable," Mr Hu was said to have told visiting Japanese MPs.
China's worries about the possible collapse of an impoverished and highly militarised state on its border have prompted concern it may not enforce the sanctions. However, China's foreign ministry said Beijing, as a permanent member of the Security Council, always strictly enforced its resolutions.
Sergei Ivanov, the Russian defence minister, said he did not exclude the possibility of another test blast by North Korea. "Russia's reaction in that case would be the same as it was to the first nuclear explosion - negative," he said.
The US government confirmed on Monday that the blast on 9 October was nuclear. Newspapers in the US reported that the explosion was probably not fuelled by uranium, but by plutonium harvested from North Korea's small, mothballed nuclear reactor.
The report, quoting unnamed officials, suggested fears Pyongyang had developed a uranium programme - based on equipment and technology from Pakistan - were unfounded.
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N.Korea Pledges no Second Nuke Test
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il told Chinese special envoy Tang Jiaxuan on Thursday that his country has no plans to conduct an additional nuclear test, a diplomatic source in Beijing said. The source also said Kim made the promise during their meeting in Pyongyang. State Councilor Tang himself told visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice in a meeting in Beijing on Friday that his trip had “not been in vain,” suggesting China could arbitrate between North Korea and the U.S.
Rice on Friday also met Chinese President Hu Jintao and other officials to discuss the North Korean nuclear crisis. At a press conference held after meeting with Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, Rice said the two “talked about the importance of full implementation of [UN] Resolution 1718” and agreed that North Korea “should return to those talks -- six party talks -- without condition and should begin the implementation of the September 2005 agreement of the six parties” to dismantle its nuclear program.
North Korea’s “announcement of a nuclear test was a serious provocation and it poses a threat to the international peace and security, particularly the peace and security of East Asia,” the U.S. secretary said. She stressed “the importance of full implementation of Resolution 1718 so that we can make certain that there is not a transit or trade in … dangerous illegal materials concerning the nuclear weapons program.”
Li for his part promised commitment to the resolution, saying, “As a member state of the United Nations and a permanent member on the UN Security Council, China will, as always, continue to implement our relevant international obligations and exert our due role in this process.” But he hinted at a difference in position on the scope of sanctions against North Korea between the U.S. and his country by adding hope that “all relevant parties will keep cool-headed, adopt a prudent and responsible attitude and adhere to dialogue.”
In their meetings with Rice, President Hu and Premier Wen Jiabao both stressed the importance of Washington-Beijing cooperation and dialogue in resolving the crisis. “It is essential for the two countries to consult closely on major international and regional issues, especially the highly complicated nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula,” the president said. Wen said, “The Korean Peninsula issue now stands at a crossroads, and what course to follow is directly related to peace and stability in east Asia and the world at large. There is no other choice but diplomacy and dialogue.”
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