South Korea’s Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang Gyun refused to say what evidence pointed to another possible North Korea test, but he told reporters that South Korean and United States intelligence officials believe North Korea has the ability to detonate another atomic device any time.
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Seoul, Washington and their allies subsequently vowed to apply more pressure and sanctions on Pyongyang.
The BBC’s Stephen Evans in Seoul says it is unlikely to happen immediately, as Pyongyang’s scientists will want to study the results of the recent test, but a sixth test could be weeks or months away.
The South Korean president, Park Geun-hye, denounced the test as a clear violation of security council resolutions banning the North from developing nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
Even though South Korea said that the isolated neighbouring country is ready to conduct its next nuclear test, the fact that it had not been able to predict the Friday test raises questions regarding South Korea’s ability to gather intelligence.
North Korea said on Saturday it would not submit to United States nuclear “blackmail”, a day after shocking the world with its fifth and largest nuclear test.
The US military delayed a planned B-1B bomber flight to the Korean peninsula, a show of strength and solidarity with ally Seoul, scheduled for Monday, Yonhap reported.
Pyongyang has carried out two nuclear tests this year, as well as several tests of powerful missiles.
The U.N. Security Council imposed tough new measures against the North in March after the fourth nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch.
“This is the fifth nuclear test conducted by North Korea, and it directly defies the UN Security Council which has demanded that North Korea stop nuclear testing”.
North Korea said there was no radioactive material leaked.
After the explosion, which caused a major seismic event, United States envoy Sung Kim said they were “working very closely in the Security Council and beyond to come up with the strongest possible measure against North Korea’s latest actions”.
“A scholar’s study on such North Korean defectors is deemed very credible”, Jeong said.
News of South Korea’s attack plan for the North is believed to have been revealed to parliament following Friday’s nuclear test.
Bad weather Monday delayed for at least 24 hours a US plan to send warplanes from Guam to South Korea, as it has done after past provocations by North Korea.
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The US stations 28,500 troops in the South.
