North Korea's announcement that it went ahead with a nuclear-weapons test Monday appeared timed to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's summit with South Korean President Roh Moo Hyun -- a day after his summit with Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Pyongyang took the action in defiance of the United Nations Security Council's unanimous warning that such an action could lead to severe consequences. The underground test in the northeastern part of the country blatantly jeopardizes peace, stability and security in the region and beyond.
The test cannot be treated separately from the North's July 5 test-firing of seven ballistic missiles. It is highly deplorable because it could accelerate the proliferation of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery, which would pose a serious threat to international peace and stability. Other nations in this and other regions may not move immediately to arm themselves with nuclear weapons, but the possibility cannot be ruled out that North Korea's demonstration of its nuclear capability will tempt other nations to eventually go nuclear. A world plagued by arms races would only see greater instability. Thus North Korea should be censured for its extremely irresponsible act.