(From Reuters)

Defence officials from South Korea and China will meet on Friday to discuss North Korea’s latest nuclear test, the Yonhap news agency reported, after the South and the United States put pressure on China to rein in its neighbor.

Ko Yun-hwa (L), Administrator of Korea Meteorological Administration, points at where seismic waves observed in South Korea came from, during a media briefing at Korea Meteorological Administration in Seoul, South Korea, January 6, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Ko Yun-hwa (L), Administrator of Korea Meteorological Administration, points at where seismic waves observed in South Korea came from, during a media briefing at Korea Meteorological Administration in Seoul, South Korea

The North’s nuclear test on Wednesday last week angered both China and the United States and again raised questions about what can be done to stop its development of nuclear weapons.

Senior defense officials of South Korea and China will meet in Seoul in an annual forum and discuss a joint response to the test, the South Korean news agency reported.

A South Korean Defence Ministry official could not immediately confirm the report.

North Korea said last week it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, but the United States and experts questioned the claim saying the recorded blast was too small for it to have been such a device.

South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on China on Wednesday to use its influence over North Korea to press it to end its nuclear program, adding it could use its permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council to help draw up effective sanctions.

“I believe the Chinese government will not allow the situation on the Korean peninsula to deteriorate further,” Park told a news conference. Read more

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