In this Nov. 13, 2015 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks during a meeting with national security leaders to discuss the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. President Barack Obama is returning to the rancor of the nation's capital Sunday after two weeks of fun and sun in his native Hawaii, saying he's "fired up" for his final year in office and ready to tackle unfinished business. Despite his deep differences with Republicans, Obama has cited two agenda items for 2016 that have bipartisan support: a free trade agreement with 11 other nations called the Trans-Pacific Partnership and changes in the criminal justice system that would reduce incarceration rates for non-violent offenders. Joining him, From left are, former Defense Secretary William Cohen, and former Secretaries of State Colin Powell and James A. Baker III. AP File Photo/Evan Vucci
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to the security of Asian allies in discussions with the leaders of South Korea and Japan about North Korea's claim that it had tested a hydrogen bomb.
The White House says Obama, South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (shin-zoh ah-bay) agreed that North Korea's actions "constitute yet another violation of its obligations and commitments under international law."
The statement released Wednesday evening by the White House says Obama and the two leaders agreed to "work together to forge a united and strong international response" to North Korean threats.
Pyongyang's announcement of a successful hydrogen bomb test would mark a major and unanticipated advance for its still-limited nuclear arsenal.