Statement by Ambassador Peter Shannon,
Chairman of the Preparatory Commission
for the Comprehensive Nuclear-
Test-Ban Treaty Organization for 2009
on the announced DPRK nuclear test

“I wish to express my serious concern at the announcement by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that it conducted a nuclear test on 25 May 2009.

This development is a clear challenge to the international community’s efforts to advance global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.

I urge the government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to adhere to the calls of the international community and to avoid steps that will have major international repercussions.” For statement by Ambassador Tibor Tóth, Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization, click here.

180 States, the vast majority of the international community, have signed the CTBT, underscoring their support for a definitive ban on nuclear testing. 148 of these have also ratified the Treaty. To enter into force, however, the CTBT must be signed and ratified by 44 specific States. These States participated in the negotiations of the Treaty in 1996 and possessed nuclear power or research reactors at the time. Thirty-five of these States have ratified the Treaty, including the three nuclear weapon States France, Russian Federation and the United Kingdom. Of the nine remaining States, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Israel and the United States have signed the Treaty, whereas the DPRK, India and Pakistan have not yet signed it.

A verification regime is being built to monitor compliance with the Treaty. Three-quarters or 75 percent of the 337 facilities in the International Monitoring System are already in place, see interactive map. The Member States are provided with data collected by the monitoring stations, as well as data analyses prepared by the International Data Centre in Vienna, Austria. Once the Treaty has entered into force, an on-site inspection can be invoked in case of a suspicious event.

The first North Korean nuclear test on 9 October 2006 was detected immediately by the CTBTO’s seismic stations, despite its small yield. The findings were later corroborated by the noble gas system. With regard to the nuclear test that has just been announced, Member States will receive measuring data and their analysis in the shortest time possible.

The UN Security Council unanimously condemned the nuclear test of 2006 in its Resolution 1718 (2006).

For further information on the CTBTO, please see www.ctbto.org – your resource on
nuclear testing, or contact:
Annika Thunborg, Chief, Public Information  
T    +43 1 26030-6375  
E    annika.thunborg@ctbto.org
M    +43 699 1459 6375       
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