[JURIST] The UN Security Council is set to meet [AP report] in emergency session to discuss possible courses of action after North Korea (DPRK) [JURIST news archive] exploded several test nuclear weapons underground Monday. North Korea's official Central News Agency [media website] reported that the tests were performed safely and no radiation leakage was detected. North Korea pulled out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [PDF text; IAEA backgrounder] in 2003 and international law regarding nuclear weapons is therefore largely inapplicable to the country. In a statement [text] made last week announcing its intent to conduct the nuclear test, North Korea said:

The US extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a corresponding measure for defence.

Secondly, the DPRK will never use nuclear weapons first but strictly prohibit any threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear transfer.

In July North Korea launched [VOA report] several test missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, in alleged violation of a September 2005 agreement [JURIST report; text] with partners in the ongoing Six-Party Talks [Wikipedia backgrounder] under which North Korea pledged to abandon "all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs and return[], at an early date, to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to IAEA safeguards." AP has more.