Ban Ki-moon 'deplores' N. Korea's nuke test, calls for restraint

NEW YORK, May 25 (Yonhap) -- U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday said he
"deplored" North Korea's nuclear test, the second of its kind since 2006, and
urged the North to refrain from further provocations that could destabilize
regional security.

"Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly deplored the conduct of an underground
nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, in clear and grave
violation of resolutions of the United Nations Security Council which is set to
hold emergency talks on the matter today," Ban said in a statement.
DPRK stands for North Korea's official name the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea.
Ban was talking about a series of resolutions adopted by the security council
since the North's detonation of its first nuclear device in 2006 that bans the
reclusive communist state from further nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
The most recent sanctions were imposed soon after the North's rocket launch on
April 5, which Pyongyang insists was to orbit a satellite but the U.S. and its
allies saw as cover for a ballistic missile test.
Ban hoped that "the Security Council will take up this matter to send out a
strong and unified message, conducive to achieving the goal of de-nuclearization
of the Korean peninsula and peace and security in the region."
The chief U.N. official, who himself had dealt extensively with the North Korean
nuclear issue in his capacity as South Korean foreign minister, expressed deep
concerns that "This act will negatively affect regional peace and stability as
well as the global nuclear non-proliferation regime."
Ban also urged the North to "refrain from taking further actions that would
increase tensions in the region, and insisted that the country comply with its
obligations and restart dialogue with the parties concerned without delay."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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