President-elect Park Geun Hye has hit out at North Korea for its third nuclear test again today, saying, “No matter how many nuclear tests North Korea carries out and how much its ability improves, if they are left out in the international cold, casting their people into penury and in that way exhausting their national power, then they are on the self-inflicted road to collapse.”

President-elect Park, speaking at a debate event on diplomatic, defense and unification issues held by her transition team, noted, “North Korea conducted its third nuclear test yesterday despite the international warnings, showing us how difficult the work of creating trust and peace on the Korean Peninsula really is.”

“North Korea might hereafter claim to be a nuclear-armed state and try to negotiate on the basis of disarmament instead of denuclearization, but that would be a misjudgment,” she warned. “Even if North Korea conducts a fourth or fifth nuclear test as well as the third, it will not increase their bargaining power.”

Attempting to position her damaged “trust process” proposal in the current environment, Park added that the latest test has not irrevocably undermined the plan, but that it will cause problems if North Korea continues to act in such a provocative manner.

However, she added, “When we are worried about future North Korean provocations, it is very important to establish a defense posture to effectively deter any future threat. It is extremely important to keep our promises in the security sector.”