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North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday (February 12) in defiance of existing United Nations resolutions, angering the United States and Japan and prompting its only major ally, China, to call for calm.
In Paris to attend a meeting on Libya, British Foreign Secretary WIlliam Hague said that North Korea would become further isolated if it carried on defying U.N. resolutions and looked to China to put that message across to PyongYang.
"So now it is time to demonstrate that if North Korea continues in this way it will face increasing isolation, and increasing pressure from all of the members of the security council. I hope that will be clear at the meeting that will be held in New York today. (Journalists question: Given how heavily sancitioned North Korea is actually, what options are left on the table for the security council?) Well those have to be discusssed at the Security Council. There is additional pressure that can be placed on North Korea, and additional sanctions that can be put in place that of course have the most effect. That they have the strong support of China, of course a key nation in this regard and a permenant member of the Security Council, and China agreed that there could be significant action if this happened. So we will now look to them to discuss that with them."
The North said the test had "greater explosive force" than the 2006 and 2009 tests that were widely seen as small-scale. Its KCNA news agency said it had used a "miniaturized" and lighter nuclear device, indicating that it had again used plutonium which is more suitable for use as a missile warhead.
