South Korea vows to take measures over the North’s latest nuclear test

South Korea said on Wednesday (January 6) it would take all possible measures, including possible United Nations sanctions, to ensure Pyongyang pays the price after its fourth nuclear test.

“Our government strongly condemns North Korea ignoring repeated warnings from us and the international community and pushing ahead with the fourth nuclear test, which clearly violated the U.N. resolutions,” Cho Tae-yong, a senior security official at the South Korean presidential office said.

“We will take all possible measures, including further United Nations sanctions, by closely cooperating with the international community including our allies and countries of the six-party talks to ensure North Korea pays the price for the nuclear test,” Cho added.

The secretive North, already under heavy U.N., EU and U.S. sanctions for its missile and nuclear tests, said earlier that it had successfully tested a hydrogen nuclear bomb.

North Korea had previously conducted three nuclear tests – in 2006, 2009 and 2013 – all at Punggye-ri, near the location of a 5.1 magnitude earthquake detected on Wednesday. (Reuters)