New Delhi: Reacting to North Korea successfully conducting its first hydrogen bomb test, India has said that it was a matter of 'deep concern' and that an assessment was underway to ascertain claims that it was a 'thermo-nuclear' test.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Vikas Swarup called on North Korea to refrain from such actions which 'adversely impacts on peace and stability' in the region.
"We have seen reports that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has conducted a nuclear test today. We are assessing the available information including claims that this was a thermo nuclear test. It is a matter of deep concern that DPRK has again acted in violation of its international commitments in this regard," Swarup said.
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He added that India's concerns about 'proliferation links' between North East Asia and the neighbouring regions were 'well known'.
Meanwhile, the United States has announced that they will respond appropriately to the claims of the test being carried out successfully.
"We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations," State Department Spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
China is likely to summon North Korea's ambassador in Beijing to the Foreign Ministry to lodge a strong protest against the hydrogen bomb test.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency says if confirmed, North Korea's hydrogen bomb test would be in in clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and "is deeply regrettable."
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano issued a statement which urged North Korea to implement fully all relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the IAEA.
Amano said that IAEA remains ready to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue by resuming its nuclear verification activities in the North once a political agreement is reached among countries concerned.
Britain's foreign secretary says that if a nuclear bomb has been detonated by North Korea, it would be a grave breach of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Philip Hammond condemned North Korea's announcement of the nuclear test, and said it underlined the "very real threat that North Korea represents to regional and international security."
Hammond, who is visiting China, said in a statement that he discussed the matter with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi. He says they "have agreed to work with other members of the U.N. Security Council towards a robust international response."
Hammond said he would also speak Wednesday with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts.
A South Korean lawmaker says the country's spy agency told him in a private briefing that Pyongyang may not have conducted a hydrogen bomb test given the relatively small size of the seismic wave reported.
Lawmaker Lee Cheol Woo says the National Intelligence Service told him that an estimated explosive yield of six kilotons and a quake with a magnitude of 4.8 were detected Wednesday.
According to him, that's smaller than the estimated explosive yield of 7.9 kilotons and a quake with a magnitude of 4.9 that were reported after the 2013 nuclear test, and only a fraction of a typical successful hydrogen bomb test's explosive yield of hundreds of kilotons.
Lee says the agency told him that even a failed hydrogen bomb detonation typically yields tens of kilotons. Lee sits on the parliament's intelligence committee.
China, Australia and France have strongly condemned North Korea's announcement of a nuclear test.
China, the North's closest ally, says the reported test was carried out in defiance of the international community and urged North Korea to refrain from acts that might worsen tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says in a statement Wednesday that the action "confirms North Korea's status as a rogue state and a continuing threat to international peace and security."
French President Francois Hollande said in a statement that "France condemns this unacceptable violation of Security Council resolutions and calls for a strong reaction from the international community."
