North Korea said it successfully tested a nuclear bomb on Wednesday, drawing threats of further sanctions even though the United States and weapons experts voiced doubts the device was as advanced as the nation claimed. The underground explosion triggered U.S. quake monitors and angered China, putting pressure on Beijing to rein in its neighbor and ally. The test also alarmed Japan, whose leader told U.S. President Barack Obama in a phone call that a firm global response was needed, Kyodo news agency said. The U.N. Security Council said it would work immediately on significant new measures, a threat diplomats said could mean an expansion of sanctions against Pyongyang, although major powers might baulk at an all-out economic offensive. North Korea has been under Security Council sanctions since it first tested an atomic device in 2006. After a nuclear test in 2013, the Security Council took about three weeks to agree a resolution that tightened financial restrictions and cracked … [Read more...] about North Korea nuclear test draws threat of sanctions, despite H-bomb doubts
North korean nuclear threat
China joins U.S., Japan in condemning North Korea nuclear test
By David Chance and Jack Kim (Reuters) - North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday in defiance of existing U.N. resolutions, drawing condemnation from around the world, including from its only major ally, China, which summoned the North Korean ambassador to protest. The reclusive North said the test was an act of self-defense against "U.S. hostility" and threatened further, stronger steps if necessary. It said the test had "greater explosive force" than the 2006 and 2009 tests. Its KCNA news agency said it had used a "miniaturized" and lighter nuclear device, indicating that it had again used plutonium which is more suitable for use as a missile warhead. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the third of his line to rule the country, has presided over two long-range rocket launches and a nuclear test during his first year in power, pursuing policies that have propelled his impoverished and malnourished country closer to becoming a nuclear weapons power. China, which has … [Read more...] about China joins U.S., Japan in condemning North Korea nuclear test
North Korean leader asks for Beijing trip
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is seeking an ice-breaking trip to key ally Beijing next month to meet China's outgoing and new leaders, a source with ties to Pyongyang and Beijing told Reuters on Friday. The planned visit comes amid signs of a thaw in Pyongyang as it desperately seeks investment to lift its impoverished and isolated economy using Chinese money. The trip was requested during this month's visit to Beijing by Kim's uncle, Jang Song-thaek, effectively the second most powerful figure in North Korea. … [Read more...] about North Korean leader asks for Beijing trip
North Korean condemned over failed rocket launch
North Korea Friday launched a long-range rocket that disintegrated soon after blastoff in what the United States and Asian nations condemned as a "provocative" act threatening regional security. The North Korean Unha-3 rocket is pictured at Tangachai -ri space center on April 8, 2012 Photo: AFP >>Seoul watching for N. Korean acts 'such as nuclear test'>> China silent after N. Korea rocket launch >> North Korea rocket launch failed, says South North Korea had said the rocket was aimed at putting a satellite in orbit for peaceful research purposes, but Western critics see it as a disguised ballistic missile test, banned by United Nations resolutions. … [Read more...] about North Korean condemned over failed rocket launch
Trump says willing to talk with North Korean leader
Trump's remarks were a further pivot from his often-bellicose rhetoric on North Korea and Kim, with whom he has engaged in a war of words that raised fears of nuclear war as Pyongyang carried out missile and nuclear tests."I always believe in talking," Trump said at the Camp David presidential retreat when asked if he would speak to Kim by phone."Absolutely I would do that, no problem with that at all," Trump said, while making clear this did not mean he would do so without preconditions.North and South Korea have agreed to hold their first official talks in more than two years, and Trump expressed hopes that they would go beyond discussions of Pyongyang's participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South, which a North Korean Olympic official said Saturday was "likely.""I would love to see them take it beyond the Olympics," Trump said. "And at the appropriate time, we'll get involved."He added that if something could come out of the talks, "that would be a great thing for all … [Read more...] about Trump says willing to talk with North Korean leader