UN council considers to issue statement on DPRK's possible nuclear test

The UN Security Council held closed consultations on the stated intention of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to carry out a nuclear test, and considered to voice their serious concern through a presidential statement, the Council president said Wednesday.

Ambassador Kenzo Oshima of Japan, Council President for October, told reporters after the meeting that the 15-member body would meet at the expert level later Wednesday to discuss issuing a formal statement.

The council experts were to consider a draft statement prepared by Japan, urging the DPRK "not to undertake such a test and to refrain from any action that might aggravate tension, and to continue to work on the resolution of non-proliferation concerns through political and diplomatic efforts."

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the Foreign Ministry, the DPRK said "the field of scientific research of DPRK will in the future conduct a nuclear test under the condition where safety is firmly guaranteed," the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

But the statement did not give a specific date or location of the upcoming test.

Source: Xinhua