Indonesia condemns North Korea's nuclear test

The Indonesian government has condemned the nuclear test conducted by North Korea on Sunday, as it could further escalate tensions in the region.

"Indonesia condemns the nuclear (hydrogen bomb) test carried out by North Korea on September 3, 2017, which has been the country's sixth since 2006," the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement here on Monday.

The nuclear test may disperse radioactive material over a large area that could endanger public health and the environment.

Moreover, the nuclear test by North Korea has violated the country's obligation to the UN Security Council resolution.

"Indonesia, as a country that has ratified the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, is committed to creating a world free of any nuclear test or explosion," the ministry stated.

Indonesia has reiterated the importance of stability in the North Korean Peninsula and has urged all parties to contribute to creating peace and making denuclearization a reality in the peninsula, the ministry stated.

A low-magnitude earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale shook North Korea on Sunday, suggesting it had detonated its sixth and most powerful nuclear device, hours after Pyongyang said it had developed an advanced hydrogen bomb that possesses "great destructive power."

The report by North Korea's official KCNA news agency comes amid heightened regional tensions following Pyongyang's two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles in July that could potentially cover about 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles), thereby putting several parts of the mainland US within range. 

Under third-generation leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear device small and light enough to fit on a long-range ballistic missile, without affecting its range and making it capable of surviving re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere

Source: ANTARA