| The White House says any nuclear test | | | | respond to - what he called - "this unprovoked |
| conducted by North Korea should be considered a | | | | act." |
| provocative act. The comments came just a few | | | | The Security Council issued a stern warning to |
| hours after North Korea claimed it had conducted | | | | North Korea just on Friday to refrain from nuclear |
| its first underground test of a nuclear weapon. | | | | testing, after Pyongyang announced it was |
| The first reaction from the White House came | | | | planning to take such action. |
| from spokesman Tony Snow. | | | | Snow said the North Koreans had called officials in |
| In an unusual middle-of-the-night conference call | | | | China early Monday morning to tell them a test |
| with news agencies, Snow said American and | | | | would be coming. Shortly after that, the message |
| South Korean intelligence agencies have detected | | | | was passed on to the United States. |
| seismic activity near a suspected nuclear test site | | | | Snow declined to speculate on a possible U.S. |
| in North Korea. | | | | response to a North Korean nuclear test and |
| Speaking a few hours after Pyongyang claimed | | | | would not answer questions about possible military |
| that it had conducted such a test, Snow made | | | | action. He said only that the United States |
| clear the United States and its allies are still | | | | reaffirms its commitment to protect its allies in |
| monitoring the situation and gathering information. | | | | the region - South Korea and Japan - while |
| But at the same time, he stressed any nuclear | | | | emphasizing that the focus now should be on |
| test by North Korea would be considered a | | | | international action through the U.N. |
| provocative act in defiance of the international | | | | Snow went on to say that there are still many |
| community and U.S. calls on Pyongyang to refrain | | | | unanswered questions, and plenty of data to be |
| from actions that would aggravate tensions in the | | | | assessed to confirm a test. He said much would |
| region. Snow said the United States expects | | | | depend on what that data reveal. |
| immediate action in the Security Council to | | | | |