World concerned on DPRK's nuclear test

The United Nations Security Council would hold an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the reported nuclear test staged by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin was quoted as saying by Itar-Tass news agency. South Korea's defense ministry said Monday it launched a "crisis management team" of general-level officers. "The team will come up with measures to respond to the nuclear test," said Lee Bung-woo, a spokesman at the Ministry of National Defense, adding the military is yet to put its troops on heightened alert. The Japanese government has set up a special task force at the emergency management center of Prime Minister Taro Aso's office. Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said that the DPRK's nuclear test is not to be tolerated and Japan will take decisive measures. Vice Foreign Minister Mitoji Yabunaka said that Japan is to request the UN Security Council to convene an emergency meeting on Pyongyang's nuclear test. Meanwhile, the United States said it is consulting with allies on the DPRK's fresh nuclear test, an anonymous State Department official told reporters late Sunday. The official said the department is establishing the facts and will have more to say. The Russian foreign ministry voiced "concern" about the test but said it was still examining the situation, the RIA-Novosti state news agency reported. The information about the nuclear test "evokes concern," but "before reaching any final conclusions it must be carefully checked," the ministry's press service was quoted as saying. The European Union also expressed concerns about the development. The reported nuclear test is "very, very worrying," EU external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said Monday. The DPRK said on Monday it successfully conducted "one more" underground nuclear test earlier in the day. In a statement released by the official news agency KCNA, the DPRK government said the test was "part of the measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrent for self-defence in every way as requested by its scientists and technicians." But the brief statement did not give any details about the test, including its location. The Seoul-based Korea Meteorological Administration said it detected an "artificial earthquake" of 4.5 magnitude around local time 09:54 a.m. (0054 GMT) Monday in North Hamkyong Province, 10 to 15 km away from the site where the DPRK staged its first nuclear test in 2006. The test came after the United Nations Security Council adopted a presidential statement in late April, condemning the April 5 rocket launch by the DPRK and demanding the country "not conduct any further launch", Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www,chinaview.cn for full version.