North Korea has carried out a new nuclear test, the fifth and most powerful. North Korean state TV reported this morning, triumphantly announcing that the test “was successful”. "Our nuclear scientists have conducted an experiment on a newly developed nuclear warhead at a site in the north of the country," explained the TV presenter.
The statement confirms the complaints by the civil and military authorities of South Korea after warning a powerful man-made earthquake, magnitude 5.3, in Punggye-ri area. Seoul believes that the earthquake was caused by the explosion of a device that generated a power equal to 10 kilotons, the most powerful ever caused by Pyongyang, almost as much as that of the Hiroshima bomb which reached 15.
Today's explosion coincides with the 68th anniversary of the founding of the state, and propaganda calls on the population to show devotion to leader Kim Jong Un.
The White House "reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of the United States to the security of our allies in Asia and around the world." AND US President Barack Obama, who is in contact with Japanese and South Korean partners, "has indicated that he will continue to consult with our allies and partners in the coming days, to ensure that North Korea's provocative actions will have very serious consequences". It is learned from the BBC.
China also expresses "resolute opposition" to North Korea's new nuclear test which "resolutely invites" to respect its promises on non-proliferation. This can be read in a very harsh note from the Foreign Ministry. He also spoke on the episode Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: "North Korea's development of atomic weapons poses a major threat to Japan." The head of the Japanese cabinet, Yoshihide Suga, reiterated that a new system of unilateral sanctions will be applied and the executive will continue to cooperate with the main countries in the area, including China and Russia.
Already tonight, precisely at the request of Japan, South Korea and the USA, the UN Security Council meets on an extraordinary basis to express a condemnation of the fifth nuclear test conducted by North Korea. It is not clear, however, what kind of sanctions it can apply after the international penalties for the regime had already been strengthened last March following the previous test carried out by Pyongyang in January (after those of 2006, 2009 and 2013). It is likely that the council will recommend to all members of the United Nations to scrupulously apply the sanctions already decided, while Tokyo and Seoul have announced further unilateral sanctions.
