France on Tuesday warned North Korea that the United Nations Security Council could take 'further measures' if the country carries out a second test of a nuclear bomb.
"A new test by North Korea would constitute an act of extraordinary irresponsibility, that could only push it into further isolation," said foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei.
"In that event, the Security Council would have to consider further measures against North Korea," he added.
"We are warning North Korea very clearly about that," he said.
The Security Council, of which France is a permanent, veto-holding member, on Saturday approved sanctions against Pyongyang after the reclusive regime exploded what it said was a nuclear bomb on October 9.
The UN resolution imposes a raft of sanctions on the North and, most controversially, allows for international inspections of cargo going in and out of the country, in an effort to prohibit any illicit trafficking.
Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso said on Tuesday Tokyo had information about possible preparations for a second test after US spy satellites reportedly picked up suspicious movements of trucks and people near the blast site.
Mattei said Paris had "no specific or new information" concerning a possible second test. "We are watching the situation very closely," he said.
The United States said Monday that tests of air samples confirmed that last week's explosion in North Korea was nuclear in origin, but said the blast had an intensity equivalent to less than 1,000 tonnes of TNT, implying it may have been a failure.