Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to respond to North Korea's most recent nuclear test.

The nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 6 January was a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Following the test, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), issued a Written Ministerial Statement on 13 January strongly condemning the nuclear test as a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions. The Foreign Secretary is also in close contact with our key allies and partners to press for a robust international response. The UK, in conjunction with other members, is currently working on a new UN Security Council Resolution to include further significant measures.

On 7 January, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), summoned the DPRK Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. During this meeting, Mr Swire made clear to the Ambassador the UK’s firm condemnation of his country’s nuclear test and instructed him to make clear to the authorities in Pyongyang that the DPRK risked increasing isolation and further action by the international community unless it followed a different path.