The announcement on Thursday by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to conduct more rocket launches and a higher-level nuclear test shocked the world and attracted criticism from major countries.

In a statement carried by official media, the National Defense Commission of the DPRK criticized the resolution adopted Tuesday by the UN Security Council to condemn its recent satellite launch.

"We do not hide that a variety of satellites and long-range rockets will be launched and a nuclear test of higher level will be carried out in the upcoming new phase of the anti-U.S. struggle, targeting against the U.S., the sworn enemy of the Korean people," the statement said.

The commission also declared that "there will no longer exist the six-party talks and the Sept. 19 joint statement," as "the UN Security Council has been reduced into an organization bereft of impartiality and balance."

"We will launch an all-out action to foil the hostile policy toward the DPRK being pursued by the U.S. and those dishonest forces following the U.S., and safeguard the sovereignty of the country and the nation," it said.

The move came as the 15-member UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously approved Resolution 2087 which requires the DPRK to comply with all relevant resolutions approved by the Security Council and not to use ballistic missile technology for any launch.

The Council advocated the renewal of the six-party talks on the denuclearization issue on the Korean Peninsula.

Major countries immediately made responses to DPRK's nuclear test announcement, signaling that an irrational DPRK and provocations will not only escalate the stand-off with Washington, but also undermine the hard-won peace in Northeast Asia.

"North Korea's statement is needlessly provocative," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters in a press gaggle on Thursday, adding that such test will violate the United Nations' resolutions and lead to further isolation of the DPRK.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government slapped sanctions on several DPRK entities and individuals as a response to the UN resolution, prohibiting them from engaging in transactions with any Americans and freezing any assets they may have under U.S. jurisdiction.

Russia also expressed regret at the DPRK's determined refusal of resuming six-party talks with international negotiators.

Moscow will maintain its contacts with Pyongyang and call for continuing the negotiating process on all other international platforms, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Thursday.

As tension seems to escalate among involved parties after the DPRK announcement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei called for calm and restraint from all concerned parties at a news briefing.

"It is in the common interests of all parties concerned to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and achieve the denuclearization of the peninsula," Hong said.

"(We) hope all concerned parties will keep calm and act in a cautious and prudent way, as well as refrain from taking any action that could lead to the progressive escalation of tensions," he said, adding the six-party talks are still an effective mechanism to realize the denuclearization of the peninsula.

The six-party talks, a negotiation mechanism that includes the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, were launched in 2003, but stalled in December 2008. The DPRK quit the talks in April 2009. Endi

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