North Korea Threatens Nuclear Test Over UN Vote | WPN World People News

North Korea is threatening to conduct a fresh nuclear test in response to a U.N. committee's condemnation of Pyongyang's alleged human rights abuses.

In a statement Thursday, the North's foreign ministry said Pyongyang will be "unable to refrain any longer" from conducting a fourth nuclear test after the U.N. General Assembly's Third Committee passed a resolution on the Communist state's rights situation.

The resolution recommends the Security Council refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. It was based on a U.N. Commission of Inquiry that found Pyongyang was committing abuses on a scale "unparalleled" in the modern world.

In its statement, North Korea said the resolution was "filled with vicious slanders and calumnies" and said its passage represents a "grave political provocation." It accused the United States of leading efforts to humiliate Pyongyang and overthrow its leadership.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests in recent years, the latest of which was in February 2013. There are signs that it may be preparing to back up its threats to conduct a fourth test.

In a report Wednesday, the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said the North appears to be restarting a facility for processing weapons-grade plutonium. The report relied on satellite photos that show steam coming from the Yongbyon plant.

In addition to the nuclear test, the North said its "military deterrence will be beefed up limitlessly to guard against U.S. military intervention." The North has repeatedly made such threats in recent years, ostensibly because it is concerned about a U.S. invasion.

The foreign ministry's comments were similar to those made earlier this week by a North Korean envoy, who also threatened a nuclear test if the U.N. approved the resolution.

The document, which was drafted by the European Union and Japan, passed easily Tuesday with 111 U.N. member states voting in favor, 19 voting against, and 55 abstaining.

Despite its strong passage, North Korea said the U.S. "barely filled up the votes needed for adopting the resolution by raking in yes men" and threatening to cut off economic aid to those who voted no.

It also said the Commission of Inquiry's report was a "farcical document" that relied on testimonies from "a few North Korean escapees who fled after committing crimes" in the North or who were "kidnapped away."

The resolution must now be approved by the wider General Assembly. It could then head to the Security Council, where China and Russia hold crucial veto votes. The two countries have in the past protected the North at the Security Council.

China, which voted against the resolution, said Wednesday that referring North Korea to the ICC would be unhelpful, adding that the Security Council is "not an appropriate place" to discuss human rights.

Source: Voice of America