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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Monday said North Korea's claim that it has tested a nuclear weapon is a threat to international peace and said the world "will respond."
"The transfer of nuclear weapons to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States," Bush said. "And we would hold North Korea fully accountable to the consequences of such action."
Bush said the U.S. was still trying to verify North Korea's claims that it had tested a nuclear weapon on Monday.
He said he'd spoken with the leaders of South Korea, Russia, China and Japan.
"All of us agreed that the proclaimed actions taken by North Korea are unacceptable and deserve an immediate response by the United Nations Security Council," Bush said.
At an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Monday, the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the European Union quickly condemned North Korea's claim.
Senior U.S. officials said the United States will push for a Security Council resolution under Chapter 7 of the organization's charter which deals with "threats to the peace" and "acts of aggression."
The officials believe the United States has "substantial" support for "strong" sanctions.
The United States and its allies have been urging North Korea to re-join six-party talks aimed at persuading the reclusive Communist nation to abandon its nuclear arms program.
China, a close ally of North Korea, denounced the claimed test as "brazen," and South Korea said it would respond "sternly" to a move that experts said raised fears of nuclear terrorism and a regional arms race.
North Korea's ambassador to the U.N. Pak Kil-yon said the council should "congratulate" North Korea's scientists and researchers "instead of [issuing] such notorious, useless and reckless resolutions" against North Korea.
Pak said the test was "very, very successful" and will contribute "to the maintenance and guarantee of peace and security in the peninsula and the region."
When asked if North Korea plans to conduct further tests, Pak told reporters "that will be enough, you don't think so?"
The announcement was made on the same day as South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon was formally nominated to become the next U.N. secretary-general, following Kofi Annan.
The ramifications
Bush said North Korea "remains one of the world's leading proliferators of missile technology, including transfers to Iran and Syria."
When North Korea warned last week that it intended to conduct a nuclear test, international analysts said it could unleash a regional arms race and give a virtual green light to Iran, which the United States suspects wants to develop nuclear weapons. Experts also fear North Korea may allow terrorists such as al Qaeda access to its nuclear weapons technology.
"This immediately affects the calculations of South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, all of whom might decide that they need to have their own independent nuclear arsenal as well," said international security analyst Joseph Cirincione of the Center for American Progress. "If North Korea gets away with this, Iran will be encouraged to go forward."
If confirmed, the test would be the first of its kind since Pakistan detonated an underground nuclear weapon in May of 1998, said Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists in Washington. North Korea would be the eighth nation to successfully conduct such a test, he said.
North Korea has recently test fired seven missiles, including a long-range ballistic missile in July, but it's unknown whether Pyongyang possesses the high-technology expertise to construct a nuclear weapon small enough for a missile delivery system.
Physical evidence
The apparent nuclear test was conducted at 10:36 a.m. (1:36 a.m. GMT) in Hwaderi near Kilju city, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing defense officials.
South Korea's state geology research center detected a 3.58-magnitude "artificial earthquake" in a remote area of North Korea's North Hamgyeong Province, according to the news agency. Judging from the seismic tremor, the center said the power of the explosion was equivalent to around a half kiloton of TNT explosives, Yonhap reported.
The U.S. Geological Survey Web site recorded a light 4.2-magnitude earthquake in North Korea at 10:35 a.m., about 385 kilometers (240 miles) northeast of the North Korean capital, Pyongyang.
CNN's Matthew Chance said that Moscow said Russian equipment in the area had confirmed an underground test and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that the force of the blast was five to 15 kilotons.
South Korea's Defense Ministry raised its military alert level.
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