Continuing to defy the Agreed Framework signed back in 1994 by North Korea and the United States, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea underwent a nuclear test again this month. North Korea was supposed to drop its graphite moderated reactor program in exchange for fuel, light-water reactor powered nuclear plants, and better economic and strategic relations with the United States under the aforementioned Framework. But on the 12th February, 2013, the China Earthquake Networks Center and the United States Geological Survey caught tremors that were later discerned as an underground nuclear explosion.
It is widely acknowledged that the February nuclear test came as a direct response to United Nations Security Council’s vote in favor of increased sanctions on Pyongyang. North Korea has been highly offensive in its stance towards nukes, evident from its third experiment in the last 7 years. Kim Jong-Un, the supreme leader of North Korea, has stated that the experiments are a part of their fight against the United States for their hostile behavior towards them. Upholding the policy of military deterrence, he vowed not to pay heed to the international pressure, even if it came from their longstanding ally, China.
United States of America, described as hostile by the North Korean government, has expressed its utmost disapproval of the incident, stating that Pyongyang’s continuous defiance of the U.N. resolution will only worsen the ever-strenuous relations between the two countries. US President Barrack Obama has cited the tests as “highly provocative” seeing them as a blatant challenge to the international security concerns that will further hurt the regional stability. Obama voiced further enhancements of economic sanctions on the already isolated state. The President of United States added that his government will take any steps necessary to ensure the safety of US and its allies.
Ban Ki Moon, the Secretary General of the UN, has rightly termed the experiments as “clear and grave violations” of the Security Council’s resolutions. He said that North Korea will require a lot more than condemnation from the international community to change its ways. Termination of economic relations is in order to tame the wayward country.
Countries in the region, and the international community at large, have come together against the continuous ridiculing of the UN resolution. North Korea is already left with little or no allies except for China, and the outrage caused by the latest nuclear experiments has left it vehemently ashamed. China has completely backed the UN resolution that was passed in response to North Korea’s advancement.
Japan was the first to summon a UN meeting on the very day of the experiments. Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe has labeled it as intolerable and has sternly warned about unwanted but expected outcomes if Pyongyang fails to reconsider its stances. The deputy spokesperson for the South Korean Unification Ministry has stated that North Korea’s nuclear program is a threat to the whole world. He further advised that the country should switch to a more cooperative path to avoid tension in the region.
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