UN Considers Sanctions for North Korea

As international condemnation continues to hang in the air over North Korea's reported nuclear bomb test on Sunday, the UN Security Council is weighing an arms embargo and financial sanctions against Pyongyang.

The US has pushed for stringent sanctions on the country in a draft resolution which include international inspections of all cargo moving into and out of North Korea to detect weapons-related material, a freeze on any transfer or development of weapons of mass destruction and a ban on luxury goods. The draft is due to be debated Tuesday.

"We're working on a set of measures that will really make the North Koreans regret what they've done, and more importantly, that will protect us from what they've done," said Christopher Hill, the lead US negotiator with Pyongyang.

The US is pushing for sanctions against North Korea to fall under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter which would make them enforceable by military means - a step that the UN seems reluctant to take so far.

North Korea's announcement that it had tested a nuclear bomb was met with strong international condemnation. The US described it as a "provocative act", while even Pyongyang's closest ally China said the reported test was "brazen".

Tokyo's U.N. Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, also the current council president, said members had condemned the test and "emphasised that the response of the council should be strong, swift and very, very clear in its message and its action," according to Reuters.

Countries close to North Korea remain tense as China cancelled leave for its troops stationed along the border with the North, and South Korean forces have been ordered to stay alert, the BBC reported.

Scientists in South Korea meanwhile have said they believe the reports of the test are true but are looking for further confirmation.

China is being closely regarded as the nation that will play the key role in moving the situation forward. The country's UN Ambassador Wang Guangya told reporters: "I think we have to react firmly. But also I believe that on the other hand the door to solve this issue from a diplomatic point of view is still open."

The only country to come out in support of N. Korea so far is Iran, which also faces Security Council action after its failure to suspend its uranium enrichment programme.