UN chief urges NKorea not to conduct nuclear test

FILE – In this Dec. 21, 2012 file image made from video, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks at a banquet for rocket scientists in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea’s top governing body warned Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013 that the regime will conduct its third nuclear test in defiance of U.N. punishment, and made clear that its long-range rockets are designed to carry not only satellites but also warheads aimed at striking the United States. The National Defense Commission, headed by the country’s young leader, rejected Tuesday’s U.N. Security Council resolution condemning North Korea’s long-range rocket launch in December as a banned missile activity and expanding sanctions against the regime. AP Photo/KRT via AP Video, File

UNITED NATIONS—Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is appealing to North Korea not to conduct another nuclear test and do more for the well-being of its people who face a “dire” humanitarian situation.

He told a group of journalists Thursday that the United Nations has been trying to provide humanitarian assistance to North Korea, but because of the crisis over a possible nuclear test and tensions on the Korean peninsula the response from international donors has been very low.

As a result, Ban said, he needs to tap into the U.N. emergency relief fund for money to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea.

He again urged key nations that have been trying to rein in the North’s nuclear program to call on Pyongyang to refrain from “any provocative measures, like conducting nuclear tests.”