Copenhagen - EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso condemned a nuclear test conducted Monday by North Korea, a country, he noted, that is strongly dependent on international food aid.

Barroso described the blast as a "provocation" and said he hoped "the international community will be very clear also in the rejection of that move."

The EU Commission president said that although North Korea is unable to feed its population properly, "it spends the resources for nuclear weapons. This is really a shame."

He cited this as reason for "rejecting this kind of negative development," Barroso told reporters after a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

Rasmussen said the test "calls for international action."

Barroso arrived late Sunday in Copenhagen from South Korea and recounted a visit he made to the strongly guarded border between North Korea and South Korea.

"It's really a shame what's happened," he said of the division between the two neighbouring states.

Barroso earlier Monday addressed a climate conference in Copenhagen attended by some 1,000 business leaders.

Copenhagen in December will host the United Nations' key climate talks where countries are to seek to make proposals on the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions.

North Korea earlier Monday said it had conducted a nuclear test, the country's second since 2006.(dpa)