BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

NORTH KOREA’S NUCLEAR TEST:IMPLICATIONS FOR EAST ASIAN SECURITY

Author: Segufta Hossain

DOI Link: DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2006v27n4a4

ABSTRACT

North Korea’s nuclear test was not a major strategic surprise. However, tensions were immediately heightened, with universal condemnation. The impact of the test on the existing global non-proliferation efforts could extend far beyond East Asia, which could create greater instability in the region and in the Asian continent and world as a whole. In reaction to North Korea’s nuclear test, the United Nations Security Council unanimously imposed multilateral sanctions on Pyongyang. The present paper attempts to identify the causes of recent nuclear test, the reactions and responses after the test, and the implications of the test for East Asian security. It has been argued in the paper that regional initiatives are necessary to prevent North Korea from pursuing a nuclear programme, which could lead to the establishment of a nuclear weapon-free East Asia.