May 2015: North Korea claims to have tested a submarine- launched missile; says it has developed technology to mount nuclear warhead on a missile. The United States Geological Survey reported the depth of the quake at 0 kilometers, strongly suggesting that Friday’s event was a nuclear test.
Advertisement
A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted by AP said that China “resolutely opposes” the test and criticized Pyongyang for its “disregard” for worldwide sanctions.
Pyongyang was unusually prompt with uploading both the Korean and English versions of the statement on its state-run KCNA news agency, which was provided just 10 minutes after the broadcast ended.
“The President also consulted with President Park of the Republic of Korea and Prime Minister Abe of Japan in separate phone calls”.
South Korea’s national security council convened an emergency meeting, and Japan said it was highly likely that the explosion was a nuclear test.
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned his South Korean counterpart Park during the G20 Summit in Hangzhou earlier this week, warning that “mishandling the issue” could “intensify conflicts” in the Korean peninsula.
Prior to North Korea’s statement, both Japanese and South Korean authorities said that they believed the explosion, which caused an natural disaster, was the result of a nuclear test.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye said the North Korean leader was showing “maniacal recklessness” in ignoring the world’s call to abandon his pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Previous recent comments from China following North Korean missile tests, including one on Monday when China was hosting the G-20 summit, have pointedly not mentioned North Korea by name.
Just before the quake was detected, North Korea analysts for the website 38 North said that satellite imagery showed movement around the underground test site, with mining carts visible and a new building erected near one portal.
In the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, residents praised the test.
North Korea analyst Jeffrey Lewis, at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in the U.S., told Reuters the size of Friday’s tremor indicated a device with a 20 to 30 kilotonne yield.
China said it was resolutely opposed to the test and urged Pyongyang to stop taking any actions that would worsen the situation.
China has condemned North Korea’s fifth nuclear test, a key denunciation for Pyongyang by its economic lifeline and only major ally.
Earnest says Obama reiterated the unbreakable US commitment to the security of America’s allies in Asia and around the world.
Pyongyang said on Friday it has successfully conducted a test of a nuclear warhead on the day of the 68th anniversary of its national foundation. But they were sent in the other direction, falling inside Japan’s air defense identification zone.
1989: U.S. satellite pictures reveal a nuclear reprocessing plant at North Korea’s Yongbyon complex.
He said the seismic magnitude and surface level indicated a blast with a 20- to 30-kilotonne yield. “Now, I am full of confidence that if the enemies make any little provocations we will make a counter attack and we will surely win”.
Feb 2013: North Korea conducts third underground nuclear test.
Advertisement
How advanced is North Korea’s weapons programme?
