| South Korea's foreign minister has cautioned | | | | In Tokyo, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary |
| against pushing North Korea into a corner on its | | | | Shinzo Abe said a nuclear test would be |
| nuclear weapons programs, but he also warned | | | | "absolutely unacceptable," and would pose a |
| the North against testing a nuclear explosive. | | | | "grave threat" to Japan's peace and stability. |
| Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon Friday reiterated his | | | | North Korea says it has nuclear weapons and |
| warning against a North Korean nuclear test, | | | | both the South Korean and U.S. governments |
| saying it could only worsen tensions on the | | | | think it has at least one or two nuclear bombs. So |
| Korean peninsula. | | | | far, however, it has never exploded a nuclear |
| Ban says, if North Korea forges ahead with a | | | | device. U.S. and Japanese news reports say |
| nuclear test, it will have "far more serious | | | | Pyongyang may be preparing to do an |
| repercussions than the recent missile launches." | | | | underground nuclear test. |
| Pyongyang defied warnings from its neighbors last | | | | South Korea, Japan, the United States, China and |
| month, and test-fired seven missiles. That led to | | | | Russia have been trying to persuade North Korea |
| United Nations sanctions and a halt to important | | | | to abandon its nuclear programs in exchange for |
| South Korean economic aid to the impoverished | | | | economic and security guarantees. Pyongyang |
| North. | | | | agreed in principle to do that last September, but |
| Ban, who was speaking to foreign journalists in | | | | has since boycotted negotiations, demanding that |
| Seoul, said the international community should be | | | | U.S. sanctions over its alleged illegal financial |
| firm in denouncing North Korea's bad behavior. | | | | activities be lifted. The United States wants |
| But, he said, at the same time, other countries | | | | Pyongyang to return to the talks without |
| should refrain from cornering Pyongyang into "a | | | | conditions. |
| dead end with no way out." | | | | Even without the nuclear tests, sanctions are |
| He added that the chances of resuming | | | | already pushing the North into further isolation. On |
| three-year-old negotiations on ending the North's | | | | Friday, Japan refused to allow six North Koreans |
| nuclear programs have deteriorated since last | | | | to enter the country for a religious conference. |
| month's missile launches. | | | | |