North Korea today threatened to conduct a nuclear test and also to test an intercontinental ballistic missile unless the UN Security Council apologises for imposing sanctions against it.
The North's foreign ministry spokesman, in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency, also demanded the Security Council withdraw all resolutions against the state for previous missile and nuclear tests.
"Unless the UN Security Council immediately apologises, we will have no choice but to take inevitable additional self defence measures to protect the Republic's highest interest," the spokesman said.
"This will include a nuclear test and a test of a intercontinental ballistic missile."
The South Korean and Chinese foreign ministries had no immediate comment.
The Security Council imposed sanctions on North Korea following a ballistic missile launch in July 2006 and a nuclear test a few months later.
It called for those sanctions to be tightened after the North fired a long-range rocket on April 5, despite international appeals not to.
Reuters