NK’s Nuclear Test Sparks International Condemnation

The nuclear test conducted by North Korea on February 12 has been triggering extensive criticisms including one from its main ally China increasing international action against Pyongyang.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned North Korea’s nuclear test, saying it was a “clear and grave violation” of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

The test prompted the U.N. Security Council to call for an emergency meeting which is potentially increasing embarrassment for Beijing being in celebration of the lunar new year holidays.

It also posed a new challenge for the Obama administration in its effort to keep the country from becoming a full-fledged nuclear power.

President Obama called for “swift and credible action by the international community” against North Korea, and Russia, Britain was echoing the U.S. tone. It was said that Pyongyang had informed China and the United States of its plans to test on the previous day.

North Korea confirmed that it had conducted its third, long-threatened nuclear test, according to the official KCNA news service. The KCNA said it used a “miniaturized and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously” and that the test “did not pose any negative impact on the surrounding ecological environment.

South Korean government said that considering the size of the seismic activity the nuclear explosion was slightly larger than the North’s two previous tests at 6-7 kilotons.

North Korea has used plutonium in previous tests and needs to conserve its stocks as testing eats into its limited supply of the material that could be used to construct a nuclear bomb.

Since the young leader Kim Jong-un took office after his father’s death in December 2011, he has purged the military, pushed ahead with two long-range rocket launches. This nuclear test seemed to have been timed for the run-up to February 16 anniversary celebrations of Kim Jong-il’s birthday, as well as to achieve maximum international attention.

And options for the international community appear to be in short supply, as North Korea is already one of the most heavily sanctioned states on earth.

The test also comes at a time of political transition in China, Japan and South Korea, and as U.S. President Barack Obama begins his second term.

Some experts admit that the longer term game plan from Pyongyang may be to restart talks aimed at winning aide for its impoverished and stricken economy that is smaller than it was 20 years ago.