US and South Korean soldiers at a joint military drill in Pocheon, South Korea (Photo: AFP/ VNA)

Choe Hui-chol, a vice minister of foreign affairs, met with foreign ambassadors in North Korea on Friday to brief them on Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test conducted over the weekend, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency. North Korea made the statement after the US asked the UN Security Council to hold a vote early next week to approve a resolution on sanction on North Korea despite protest from Russia and China.

In another development, South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said on Friday that it has found traces of radioactive xenon gas but that it was too early to specify its source. The Commission said it was analyzing "how the xenon entered South Korean territory and will make a decision at a later time whether the material is linked to North Korea's nuclear test".

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that it is too early to discuss the vote for new sanctions on North Korea. At a press conference with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian, Mr. Lavrov said it is essential to resume political process while putting more pressure on North Korea to stop its provocative actions related to its nuclear and missile program.