韩国：朝鲜下一次核试验随时可能发生

South Korea's Defense Ministry warned Monday that North Korea could conduct another nuclear test at any time.

Spokesman Moon Sang-gyun declined to give more information beyond saying a potential test could take place in an unused tunnel at the Punggy-ri site where North Korean has previously carried out tests in its effort to develop nuclear warheads that can fit on a missile.

The latest test happened Friday. It was the fifth that North Korea has done and the most powerful to date.

The U.N. Security Council denounced the test, saying it was a flagrant violation of sanctions imposed during the past decade in response to North Korea's nuclear activity. A council statement pledged to work on "appropriate measures" in response.

At a U.S.-South Korea defense meeting Monday in Seoul, South Korean Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Yoo Jeh-seung said the biggest threat to the alliance between those two nations is North Korean leader Kim Jong Un who considers nuclear weapons "tools of survival for the regime."

The U.S. and South Korea joined with China, Russia, Japan and North Korea in six-party talks aimed at curbing the North Korean nuclear weapons program in exchange for aid, but those negotiations broke down in 2009.韩国国防部星期一警告说，朝鲜有可能随时进行另一次核试验。

韩国国防部发言人文相均表示，朝鲜有可能在丰溪里核试验场的一条未使用过的隧道进行核试验，除此之外，没有提供更多的信息。朝鲜先前一直在这个地点从事核试验，发展与导弹相匹配的核弹头。

最近一次核试验发生在上周五。这是朝鲜的第五次，也是迄今威力最强的一次核试验。

联合国安理会对此提出谴责，说这是公然违反了过去10年针对朝鲜核活动而实施的制裁。安理会发表声明，承诺要采取“适当措施”作为回应。

星期一，在首尔举行的美韩防务会议上，韩国国防部政策副部长柳济胜说，美韩两国联盟最大的威胁是朝鲜领导人金正恩，因为他认为核武器是“朝鲜政权生存的工具。”

美国、韩国、中国、俄罗斯、日本以及朝鲜的六方会谈旨在以援助作为交换条件来遏制朝鲜的核武器项目，但是谈判2009年以失败告终。