German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle strongly condemned North Korea's third nuclear test on Tuesday, Feb 12, and said the international community should consider further sanctions against Pyongyang.

"Foreign Minister Westerwelle strongly condemns the nuclear test in North Korea as another gross violation of UN Security Council resolutions," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The international community must respond with a clear stance to this fresh provocation. Further sanctions against the regime in Pyongyang must be considered," it said, according to Reuters.