S. Korea denounces DPRK's nuclear test
9/10/2006 17:06
The South Korean government today denounced a nuclear test by the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea(DPRK) and urged Pyongyang "not to make a
misjudgment in any case."
In a statement issued by the Presidential Office,
the South Korean government said it would deal with DPRK's nuclear test
strictly, noting that DPRK's possession of nuclear weapons "cannot be
tolerated."
DPRK's nuclear test "is a serious threat that will shake the
stability and peace of not only the Korean Peninsula but also the Northeast
Asian region and an act that tramples down the international community that has
wished for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and has sought to
resolve the issue peacefully through dialogue," the statement said.
"The act
by the North (DPRK) has deserted the principle of the Sept. 19 joint statement
of the countries engaged in the six-party talks. It is also an unpardonable
provocation that challenged the UN Security Council's resolution 1695 adopted on
July 15. It also nullified the 1991 Joint Declaration on the Denuclearization of
the Korean Peninsula. We make it clear again that the North (DPRK) will be
responsible for all inter-Korean issues that follow hereafter," it said.
The
statement also urged Pyongyang to immediately dismantle all of its programs
related to nuclear weapons, return to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and
implement international rules as a responsible member of the international
community.
"Our military, based on its alliance with the United States, is
fully prepared to deal with any kind of provocative acts by the North (DPRK),"
it added.
The statement also called for an immediate discussion of the issue
on the UN Security Council.
"Our government is also determined to listen to a
wide range of opinions from ruling and opposition party leaders to the
representatives of our society and will take actions coordinated at home and
abroad in a calm and strict manner," it said.
DPRK's official Korean Central
News Agency said on Monday that the country had conducted an underground nuclear
test successfully.
The South Korean government has called on an emergency
meeting of security-related ministers to discuss counter measures, and
heightened the security level of military forces in case of possible conflicts
with DPRK.
xinhua
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