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(Meanwhile, over in Washington...)
UN Chief Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made clear that they agree
time should be not wasted in penalizing North Korea for its latest nuclear test.
For more on what was said between the leaders and Capitol Hill's foreign policy on Pyongyang
here's our Choi You-sun . The UN Secretary-General and the U.S. Secretary of State were one voice
in saying the international community must promptly act in response to North Korea's
nuclear test this week.
"I encourage the Security Council to act with unity and to take appropriate measures as
soon as possible."
"This week's test was an enormously provocative act that warrants a strong, a swift and credible
response from the global community."
Calling North Korea's latest provocation a "direct challenge" to the world, Ban Ki-moon
said he counted on John Kerry's leadership to bring out a unified response from the 15-member
Security Council.
To that end, Secretary Kerry said he would ramp up coordination with the Council and
members of the six-party talks to guarantee an appropriate counteraction.
On Capitol Hill, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators, headed by Foreign Relations Committee
chair Robert Menendez introduced a bill to prevent Pyongyang's nuclear proliferation.
The legislation, likely to pass Congress, requires the U.S. Secretary of State to submit
a comprehensive North Korea report containing U.S. policies to curtail Pyongyang's development
of weapons of mass destruction and missiles.
The legislators also urged Washington to extend sanctions designation on new North Korean
entities and individuals.
In the lower chamber of Congress, Foreign Affairs Committee chair Ed Royce put forth
a resolution calling on the U.S. government to pressure China to cut off aid to North
Korea, and to exercise greater influence to stop its ally's nuclear and missile programs.
Choi You-sun, Arirang News.