(VOVworld) – South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-koo and US Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken held talks on Wednesday as the allies quicken moves to punish North Korea for its defiant nuclear test earlier this month.

Han said that despite repeated warnings and concerns by the international community, North Korea had conducted its fourth nuclear test, and was a grave threat to the Korean Peninsula and the international community.
Blinken said South Korea and the US will face the North Korean challenge "in total solidarity". He called on China to play a special role in imposing tougher sanctions on North Korea.