China, Japan ask Security Council to do more on NKorea

NEW YORK

Leaders of the two biggest powers in Southeast Asia called Wednesday for more international commitment against nuclear danger posed by North Korea.

In separate addresses during the UN General Assembly, Chinese premier Li Keqiang and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged the Security Council to be more decisive against the nuclear ambitions of the isolated nation.

“Now is the time for the Security Council to indicate an unmistakable attitude towards this threat of a new dimension,” Abe said. “The threat to the international community has become increasingly grave and all the more realistic. It demands a new means of addressing it, altogether different from what we applied until yesterday.”

Meanwhile, Li urged new efforts to "reach a comprehensive political solution on the Korean nuclear issue," a further indication of Beijing’s growing disapproval of its old ally’s provocative behavior.

North Korea has been defiant in the face of mounting international pressure for continued nuclear tests.

Pyongyang conducted its fifth-ever nuclear test Sept. 9, which triggered a magnitude-5.3 earthquake on the Korean peninsula.

The country’s state-run media reported Tuesday a "successful" test of a powerful new engine, fueling speculation it may launch a long-range rocket in line with the anniversary of its ruling party’s founding in less than three weeks.

After the rocket test, the U.S. army repeated a show of force by landing a nuclear-capable B-1B supersonic bomb in South Korea -- its close ally in the region.

The UN Security Council is yet to agree on an enhanced package of sanctions against Pyongyang.