DeKALB | North Korea’s claim that it has tested a nuclear weapon has the United States pushing the United Nations for sanctions against North Korea.

In an article published in the New York Times, President Bush said “such a claim itself constitutes a threat to international peace and security.”

China has denounced the claimed test as “brazen,” and South Korea said it would respond “sternly,” a move experts say raises fears of nuclear terrorism and a regional arms race, according to a cnn.com report.

Y.K. Wang, associate professor of political science, said Washington’s response will play a role in the arms race, but China is more powerful than the U.S. in this situation.

China is North Korea’s largest source of imported energy, oil and food. The question now is whether China will cut off North Korea’s oil supply to pressure the North Korean government to rejoin the six-party talks and pledge to dismantle nuclear bombs, Wang said.

The U.S. and its allies have already attempted to get North Korea to rejoin the talks, according to CNN.

Wang said the world should also watch how Japan will respond “because Japan has had a nuclear taboo for a long time.” Because Japan is the only country in the world that has been hit by a nuclear bomb, they have a strong antipathy toward nuclear weapons. There is, however, a small minority in Japan who would like the country to have nuclear weapons, Wang said.

“I don’t think that Japan will nuclearize,” Wang said. “However, North Korea would like to push Japan to have more debate about nuclear weapons.”

The nuclear test was reportedly conducted at 10:36 a.m. Korean time in Hwaderi, near the town of Kilju according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

North Korea’s announcement of the test came just two days after the country was warned by the United Nations Security Council of severe consequences if it followed through on its plans for the test, according to the New York Times.