IAEA Slams N Korea for Conducting Nuclear Test, Stands Ready for Cooperation

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) condemns North Korea’s new nuclear test but will work with the country whenever it is ready for a peaceful resolution, the IAEA chief said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — North Korea reportedly admitted it had carried out a nuclear test overnight, the fifth and the largest since it started developing nuclear weapons in violation of UN resolutions.

"I strongly urge the DPRK to fully implement all relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the IAEA," the nuclear watchdog’s Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement.

He criticized the reported nuclear experiment as a "deeply troubling and regrettable act" which was "in complete disregard" of the repeated demands of the international community.

Amano added his agency would be ready to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the nuclear crisis by resuming verification activities in North Korea once a political agreement is reached among countries concerned.