In clear defiance of the rest of the world, North Korea has conducted a third nuclear weapon test. This has reportedly been its biggest, most powerful yet, causing earthquake tremors that have been detected by South Korean, American and Japanese monitoring agencies.

This action by North Korea shows once again that the leaders in this secretive communist nation are prepared to defy international conventions and sanctions, and act against the wishes of every other global leader. This again puts pressure on China and its leaders to see how it handles this defiant action which has been described as deplorable and dangerous by international leaders.

Several hours after the seismic activity was detected the North Korean regime broadcast that it had detonated a miniature nuclear device at an underground testing facility. The detected earthquake had a magnitude of between 4.9 and 5.2.

The official news agency in North Korea reported that this nuclear device was more powerful than any other previous test device and was a legitimate response to sanctions imposed on the country after it conducted a rocket test in December. According to the Korean Central News Agency, this defiant act was carried out to protect the sovereignty of the country and was a reaction to “outrageous” hostility from the US.

This latest move by North Korea is not only in defiance of United Nations Security Council orders to halt its nuclear development, but also goes against the wishes of its closest ally China. This will be a strong test for China and it will be very interesting to see what its response will be in the coming days.

What do you think should be the response to this third and most powerful nuclear weapons test by North Korea?