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Argentina once again expresses in the strongest terms its condemnation in view of the new nuclear testing that the Democratic Republic of Korea claims to have carried out today.

If confirmed, this fourth test would be the first case of a Hydrogen bomb and would clearly contradict the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

In this context, Foreign Minister Malcorra –who has been invited by the Executive Secretary of the CTBT to join the Group of Eminent Persons (GEM) in support of the prompt entry into force of the Treaty- underlined the importance of this Agreement and the contribution Argentina makes to the international monitoring system that allows for the detection of events such as this, which constitute a clear threat to international peace and security. Furthermore, such acts evidence the non-compliant attitude of North Korea regarding the repeated appeals by the international community.

This new nuclear test would constitute a violation of the UN Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009) y 2087 (2013), all of which call on the DPRK to return to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the safeguards regime under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and to give up all nuclear weapons and the existing nuclear programmes in a comprehensive, verifiable and irreversible manner, putting an immediate end to all connected activities, including launches that use ballistic missile technology and other acts of provocation.

Argentina considers it is imperative that the DPRK put an end to its acts of hostility, agreeing to comply with the obligations stemming from the aforementioned UN Security Council resolutions, returning to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and establishing the basis that may allow the IAEA to resume its safeguards activities in the country.