Promoted by Steven D
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Drowning out all the “good” news about Obama’s State of the Union.
Northe Korea defies neighbour China in a third underground nuclear test
Hong Kong (CNN) — North Korea said Tuesday that it had conducted a new, more powerful underground nuclear test using more sophisticated technology, jolting the already fragile security situation in Northeast Asia and drawing condemnation from around the globe.
“The test was carried out as part of practical measures of counteraction to defend the country’s security and sovereignty in the face of the ferocious hostile act of the U.S.,” the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, referring to new U.S.-led sanctions on Pyongyang in the wake of a recent long-range rocket launch.
The nuclear test, which follows previous detonations by the North in 2006 and 2009, had greater explosive force and involved the use of a smaller, lighter device, KCNA reported.
In a White House statement, President Obama calls the test “highly provocative”, calls for “swift” international action.
UN Security Council to meet on North Korean test
(St. Louis Today) – The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on North Korea’s nuclear test on Tuesday morning.
South Korea’s U.N. Mission informed reporters early Tuesday that the closed-door meeting will begin at 9 a.m. (1400 GMT). South Korea joined the Security Council in January for a 2-year term and currently holds the council’s rotating presidency.
South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan is in New York to preside over a council meeting scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. (1500 GMT) on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.
- South Korea: a return to the Sunshine Policy could prove dangerous
- Engaging North Korea: Legacy of South Korea’s Sunshine Policy (AEI)