MOSCOW: World powers must be firm with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) but also take care to avoid inflaming tensions further, Russia's foreign minister said yesterday.

The world "must not rush to punish North Korea (DPRK) just for punishment's sake," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that Russia wants a UN Security Council resolution that will help restart stalled six-nation talks over the DPRK's nuclear programs and will not provoke Pyongyang into even more aggressive activity.

The DPRK on Monday conducted an underground nuclear test very close to the Russian border. Russia's military said its yield was comparable to the bombs that flattened Hiroshima and Nagasaki, though other estimates have pointed to a smaller blast.