White House vows appropriate response to North Korea 'provocations'

Washington: The United States slammed North Korea's "provocations" and vowed to respond appropriately while stressing it could not confirm the hermit state's claims that it had carried out a hydrogen bomb test.

"While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of UNSC (United Nations Security Council) resolutions and again call on North Korea to abide by its international obligations and commitments," White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said in a statement late Tuesday.

The United States, he added, would "respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations."