WHITE HOUSE - President Barack Obama condemned North Korea's nuclear test Friday, calling it "a grave threat to regional security and to international peace and stability."
In a , the president said North Korea's "provocative and destabilizing actions" had served "to isolate and impoverish its people through its relentless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile capabilities."
The U.N. Security Council met in a closed session Friday afternoon in New York. The council president, New Zealand Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen, told reporters that the 15 members strongly condemned the underground nuclear test and agreed to “work immediately on appropriate measures” contained in Article 41 of the U.N. Charter. That clause covers sanctions.
“The council must use every tool at its disposal to change North Korea’s calculus,” U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power told reporters. She said Washington would work with its international partners “to vigorously implement” existing measures in four previous U.N. resolutions. “And we will take additional significant steps, including new sanctions, to demonstrate to North Korea that there are consequences to its unlawful and dangerous actions.”
Japan’s envoy, Koro Bessho, said his government would seek “a fresh resolution, with fresh measures.”
In March, the council passed its toughest and most extensive set of sanctions to date on North Korea. It remains to be seen what new and strengthened measures the council will be able to agree on.
China’s U.N. ambassador, Liu Jieyi, walked away without answering a reporter’s question about Beijing’s support for additional sanctions. But he did say Beijing was “opposed to the testing and we believe that it is more urgent than ever to work together to achieve denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” He called on “all sides” to refrain from mutual provocation.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, himself a former South Korean foreign minister, strongly condemned the underground nuclear test as a “brazen breach” of council resolutions.
“For the fifth time in recent years, the DPRK alone has broken the international norm against nuclear tests,” Ban said. “This unacceptable act endangers peace and security in the region and is another vivid reminder of the urgent need to strengthen the global nuclear test ban regime.”
Ban said he was counting on the Security Council to remain united and take appropriate action.
The latest and possibly largest North Korean nuclear test ever occurred as Obama was returning to Washington from his trip to Asia. While aboard Air Force One, he spoke by telephone with both South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Obama said they all agreed to implement new sanctions. The president also reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to defend its allies in Northeast Asia through deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, who was in Norway, also condemned the test at a news conference with his Norwegian counterpart.
Carter said he spoke with the South Korean defense minister, and they agreed the world needed to hold North Korea accountable. Carter said this test might strengthen resolve to get the THAAD system in place sooner. He added that it now was up to China to reverse the trend of North Korean nuclear escalation.
China responded to news of the test by saying it firmly opposed such actions by Pyongyang. A statement urged North Korea to adhere to its promises about nuclear non-proliferation, and it criticized the country for disregarding international objections.
China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, urged North Korea to “stop taking any actions that worsen the situation. Any actions solely in one side’s interest will only escalate the situation.”
Meanwhile, Beijing said China had started emergency measures to monitor radiation rates and environmental pollution along its border with North Korea.
In announcing the nuclear test, North Korea called it "part of responsive measures to threats and sanctions from the U.S. and enemies denying our strategic position as a nuclear state." The White House statement reaffirmed the U.S. position on the issue: "The United States does not, and never will, accept North Korea as a nuclear state."
The Obama administration has followed a policy of “strategic patience,” knowing that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has shown no interest in negotiations over its nuclear program. At a news conference Thursday in Laos, Obama acknowledged that persuading Pyongyang to change its behavior had been difficult.