UN: Hours after North Korea claimed it had conducted its first nuclear test, the United Nations Security Council chose South Korea's foreign minister, Ban Ki-moon, to succeed Kofi Annan as UN secretary general.
Mr Ban, whose nomination is almost certain to be confirmed by the UN's 192-nation General Assembly within a week or two, said he would work to resolve the North Korean nuclear stand-off.
"This should be a moment of joy. But instead, I stand here with a very heavy heart. Despite the concerted warning from the international community, North Korea has gone ahead with a nuclear test," he said. The choice of Mr Ban became a foregone conclusion after all other candidates withdrew last week and diplomats believe Pyongyang may have timed its nuclear test to coincide with his nomination.
Describing the test as "a grave and direct threat to the peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in northeast Asia", Mr Ban said there must be no tolerance shown towards a nuclear North Korea.
Mr Ban promised to continue an internal reform of the UN started under Mr Annan, whose son's involvement in the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal tarnished his reputation for probity.
"It is true that the UN has not lived up to the expectations of the international community in terms of efficiency, transparency and accountability. I will endeavour to make substantial contributions to making progress," Mr Ban said.
The South Korean's low-key style has led some critics to predict that he will be a weak secretary general and to suggest that Washington backed him for precisely that reason. UN diplomats said yesterday, however, that it was too early to say how Mr Ban would perform, pointing out that Asia culture promotes a less overtly assertive political style than in the West.
Mr Ban has himself claimed to have "my own kind of charisma" and his experience of negotiating with North Korea could prove an advantage in dealing with the nuclear stand-off.
Mr Annan was initially seen as suspect by some UN member-states, who feared he would tack too closely to British and US positions, but the outgoing secretary general, who will leave office at the end of this year, proved to have an appetite for confrontation as he settled into the post.