By Park Si-soo
In his first reaction to North Korea's sixth nuclear test, U.S. President Donald Trump condemned the North, calling it a “rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China.”
Trump wrote in his tweeter that the reclusive state's “words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States,"
China
Chinese President Xi Jinping avoided mention of North Korea in his keynote address at the BRICS summit, which opened hours after Pyongyong claimed it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.
“We are in a great era of development, transformation and adjustment,” Xi said in the speech. “The law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak and the zero-sum game are rejected, and peace, development and win-win cooperation have become the shared aspiration of all peoples."
Russia
The Russian foreign ministry said on Sunday it was deeply concerned about North Korea's sixth nuclear test. The ministry said the test was a defiance of international law and deserved condemnation. It urged all sides involved to hold talks, which it said was the only way to resolve the Korean peninsula's problems.
United Kingdom
Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday, "There's no question that this is another provocation, it's reckless.” He said the North seem to be “moving closer toward a hydrogen bomb which, if fitted to a successful missile, would unquestionably present a new order of threat.”
Germany and France
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron called for tougher sanctions against Pyongyang. The German government said in a statement that Merkel and Macron spoke on the phone, with both strongly condemning the new nuclear test in North Korea.
"This latest provocation by the ruler in Pyongyang has reached a new dimension," it added. Merkel and Macron agreed that North Korea was violating international law and that the international community must react decisively to this new escalation, Berlin said. "In addition to the United Nations Security Council, the European Union also has to act now. The Chancellor and the President expressed their support for a tightening of EU sanctions against North Korea," the statement said.
Taiwan
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said “Our government condemns any action that damages regional stability. We will continue to cooperate with the international community in joint actions to maintain stability and order.”
Australia
Australia has condemned North Korea's "flagrant defiance" of UN Security Council resolutions and urged the world body to take further action against the "dangerous pariah regime."
"We call for the UN Security Council to urgently consider further strong measures that would place pressure on North Korea to change course," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said in a joint statement with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
Australia called for all countries, especially the five UN veto powers "to apply the maximum possible pressure to this dangerous pariah regime."
Denmark
Denmark slammed North Korea's nuclear test as "unlawful" and summoned Pyongyang's ambassador to convey its concerns.