PH expresses grave concern over Nokor H-bomb test


ABS-CBN News
Posted at Sep 03 2017 08:55 PM
A man walks past a street monitor showing a news report about North Korea's nuclear test in Tokyo. Reuters
MANILA - The Philippine government expressed grave concern over North Korea's detonation of a hydrogen bomb Sunday, its biggest nuclear test to date, which was condemned around the world.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Pyongyang's hydrogen bomb test this afternoon, which was described as a "perfect success," undermines peace and stability in the region.  
"We are gravely concerned over this hydrogen bomb testing by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Such provocative actions undermine regional peace and stability," he said. 
Cayetano said the bomb tests limit the option for a dialogue concerning issues in the Korean peninsula and urged North Korea to return to the negotiating table.
"The Philippines urges the DPRK to return to the negotiating table. ASEAN is ready to play a role in creating diplomatic space to effect meaningful dialogue," he said. 
North Korea earlier said it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb designed to be mounted on its newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile. 
The hydrogen bomb test ordered by leader Kim Jong Un was a "perfect success" and was a "meaningful" step in completing the country's nuclear weapons program, state television said.
Cayetano, who is now in Seoul on an official visit, already instructed the Philippine Embassy there to ensure that the 65,000 Pinoys in South Korea are aware of their contingency plans.
He also advised the Filipinos living and working in Korea to constantly monitor social media accounts of the Embassy for emergency alerts and advisories. 
WORLD CONDEMNS PYONGYANG H-BOMB TEST
Aside from the Philippines, the United Nations nuclear watchdog and even Russia expressed grave concern over the hydrogen bomb test by Pyongyang. 
The explosion of what North Korea said was an advanced hydrogen bomb caused residents across the border in China to flee their homes, fearing an earthquake. 
Japan and South Korea said it was around 10 times more powerful than the tremor picked up after the last test a year ago. The USGS measured the tremor at magnitude 6.3. 
French President Emmanuel Macron urged the United Nations Security Council to react quickly and decisively to bring back Pyongyang to the negotiating table. 
"The international community must treat this new provocation with the utmost firmness, in order to bring North Korea to come back unconditionally to the path of dialogue," he said in a statement.
  • China, the only North Korean ally that is a permanent member of the Security Council, urged its neighbor to stop "wrong" actions that worsen the situation. It said it would fully enforce U.N. resolutions on the country.
The Russian foreign ministry also called for calm, adding that North Korea risked "serious consequences."
"In the emerging conditions it is absolutely essential to keep cool, refrain from any actions that could lead to a further escalation of tensions," it said on its website.
Moscow urged all sides involved to hold talks, which it said was the only way to resolve the Korean peninsula's problems. Later on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in China.
Just hours before the nuclear test, Trump talked by phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about the "escalating" nuclear crisis. After Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan last week, he tweeted that "talking is not the answer".
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which has no access to North Korea, called the nuclear test, Pyongyang's sixth since 2006, "an extremely regrettable act" that was "in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community."
The organization in charge of the global nuclear test ban treaty - which cannot come into legal force until ratified by the United States, China, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and Egypt as well as North Korea - said things had to change.
"I sincerely hope that this will serve as the final wake-up call to the international community to outlaw all nuclear testing by bringing the CTBT into force," said Lassina Zerbo, head of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation.--with reports from Reuters 

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