North Korea refuses to rule out nuclear testing

North Korea Sunday refused to rule out the possibility of conducting a new nuclear test if the US continued "its hostile policy" towards Pyongyang.

"We do not rule out the new form of nuclear test to further strengthen our nuclear deterrence," Xinhua quoted the country's foreign ministry as saying in a statement.

Washington would bear all the responsibilities in the event of a "catastrophic" incident on the Korean Peninsula, it said, warning the US against taking any "rash action".

The statement came in response to a statement made by the UN Security Council at a closed-door consultative meeting Friday, which condemned Pyongyang's recent ballistic missile launches.

"As long as the US, who is manipulating the UN State Council to smother the North Korea, we will also accordingly exercise our legitimate defence right as well," said the statement, adding that "we are already well-prepared for various forms of countermeasures".

North Korean ballistic missile launches are banned under the UN Security Council resolutions adopted in response to nuclear tests by Pyongyang in 2006 and 2009 and subsequent rocket firings.