South Korea's finance minister pledged Monday to take immediate measures to stabilize the market, if the need arises, amid escalating tensions after North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test.

"The North Korean issue is spreading across the world," Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said at a meeting with Bank of Korea Governor Lee Ju-yeol and Financial Services Commission Chairman Choi Jong-ku. "It may not only have a short-term impact on the financial and foreign exchange markets, but on the real economy as a whole."

The meeting was convened to discuss ways to deal with the potential impact of the latest North Korean aggression. On Sunday, Pyongyang claimed to have successfully tested an H-bomb that can be fitted atop an intercontinental ballistic missile.