North Korea confirms nuclear test
North Korea says nuclear test conducted
By Anna Fifield in Seoul
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
Published: October 9 2006 04:55 | Last updated: October 9 2006 12:31
North Korea on Monday morning said it had conducted a nuclear test - a highly provocative action that sparked outrage around the world and dramatically changed the security situation in north-east Asia.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that the test was performed and that there had been no radioactive leakage from the site.
“The nuclear test is a historic event that brought happiness to the our military and people,” KCNA said.
The US said it had detected a “seismic event”. Tony Snow, White House spokesman, said: “A North Korean nuclear test would constitute a provocative act in defiance of the will of the international community and of our call to refrain from actions that would aggravate tensions in north-east Asia.’’ Mr Snow said he expected the UN Security Council to take immediate action.
South Korean government officials convened an emergency meeting on Monday morning, just as Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Seoul for a summit with his counterpart Roh Moo-hyun.
“President Roh Moo-hyun called in an emergency meeting of related ministers on Monday to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue,” said Choo Kyu-ho, the foreign ministry spokesman. “The meeting comes as there has been a grave change in the situation involving the North’s nuclear activity.”
China also issued a strongly worded statement calling N Korea’s test a ‘flagrant’ disregard of international opinion.
South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index nosedived on news of the test, prompting the Korea Exchange to suspend trading for five minutes to allow investors to digest the news, before closing 2.41 per cent lower at 1319.4.
Reuters news agency reported that North Korea gave China 20 minutes notice of the test.
South Korea’s YTN television quoted intelligence officials as saying North Korea conducted a nuclear test at 10:35am local time in Hwadae-ri, in the northern province of Hamkyungbuk-do.
The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources in Daejon confirmed that they detected a seismic wave of 3.58-3.7 on the Richter scale, but earthquake expert Chi Heon-cheol said it seemed to be a little small for a nuclear test.
The centre expected the magnitude of the wave to be between 4.2-4.5 if a nuclear test had been conducted, but the wave magnitude can be smaller according to how deep they conduct their experiment.
Manmade events transmit different waves from natural events so a nuclear test can be differentiated from an earthquake.
North Korea’s foreign ministry last week said that US pressure and threat of sanctions had put the state in danger, its boldest declaration yet.
“The US’s daily increasing threat of a nuclear war and its vicious sanctions and pressure have caused a grave situation on the Korean peninsula . . . and the Korean nation stands at the crossroads of life and death,” it said.
Saying it needed to “bolster its war deterrent for self-defence”, Pyongyang said it would “in the future conduct a nuclear test under conditions where safety is firmly guaranteed”.
After the threat was issued, North Korea’s neighbours cautioned the rogue state sharply against carrying out its threat to conduct a nuclear test. China urged its long-time ally to exercise restraint and Japan and South Korea warned of grave consequences.
The reaction underlined how seriously North Korea’s threat is being taken this time. Kim Jong-il, leader of the reclusive state, has long used threats as a bargaining tool, and his colourful words are often dismissed as rhetoric. But since North Korea launched seven missiles in July, its neighbours have been reluctant to call Pyongyang’s bluff.
The UN Security Council on Friday agreed on a unanimous statement warning North Korea to refrain from testing a nuclear weapon, or else face unspecified consequences.
Should North Korea ignore the UN’s calls, the draft statement said, “the Security Council will act consistent with its responsibility under the charter of the United Nations”, in deliberately vague language but which could lead to sanctions or other measures.
According to the draft UN statement, “the Security Council deems that should the DPRK (North Korea) carry out its threat of a nuclear weapon test, it would jeopardize peace, stability and security in the region and beyond.”
“Such a test would bring universal condemnation,” it added, and called for an early resumption of the ‘six-party talks’ aimed at achieving “the verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula”.
By Anna Fifield in Seoul
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
Published: October 9 2006 04:55 | Last updated: October 9 2006 12:31
North Korea on Monday morning said it had conducted a nuclear test - a highly provocative action that sparked outrage around the world and dramatically changed the security situation in north-east Asia.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that the test was performed and that there had been no radioactive leakage from the site.
“The nuclear test is a historic event that brought happiness to the our military and people,” KCNA said.
The US said it had detected a “seismic event”. Tony Snow, White House spokesman, said: “A North Korean nuclear test would constitute a provocative act in defiance of the will of the international community and of our call to refrain from actions that would aggravate tensions in north-east Asia.’’ Mr Snow said he expected the UN Security Council to take immediate action.
South Korean government officials convened an emergency meeting on Monday morning, just as Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Seoul for a summit with his counterpart Roh Moo-hyun.
“President Roh Moo-hyun called in an emergency meeting of related ministers on Monday to discuss the North Korean nuclear issue,” said Choo Kyu-ho, the foreign ministry spokesman. “The meeting comes as there has been a grave change in the situation involving the North’s nuclear activity.”
China also issued a strongly worded statement calling N Korea’s test a ‘flagrant’ disregard of international opinion.
South Korea’s benchmark Kospi index nosedived on news of the test, prompting the Korea Exchange to suspend trading for five minutes to allow investors to digest the news, before closing 2.41 per cent lower at 1319.4.
Reuters news agency reported that North Korea gave China 20 minutes notice of the test.
South Korea’s YTN television quoted intelligence officials as saying North Korea conducted a nuclear test at 10:35am local time in Hwadae-ri, in the northern province of Hamkyungbuk-do.
The Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources in Daejon confirmed that they detected a seismic wave of 3.58-3.7 on the Richter scale, but earthquake expert Chi Heon-cheol said it seemed to be a little small for a nuclear test.
The centre expected the magnitude of the wave to be between 4.2-4.5 if a nuclear test had been conducted, but the wave magnitude can be smaller according to how deep they conduct their experiment.
Manmade events transmit different waves from natural events so a nuclear test can be differentiated from an earthquake.
North Korea’s foreign ministry last week said that US pressure and threat of sanctions had put the state in danger, its boldest declaration yet.
“The US’s daily increasing threat of a nuclear war and its vicious sanctions and pressure have caused a grave situation on the Korean peninsula . . . and the Korean nation stands at the crossroads of life and death,” it said.
Saying it needed to “bolster its war deterrent for self-defence”, Pyongyang said it would “in the future conduct a nuclear test under conditions where safety is firmly guaranteed”.
After the threat was issued, North Korea’s neighbours cautioned the rogue state sharply against carrying out its threat to conduct a nuclear test. China urged its long-time ally to exercise restraint and Japan and South Korea warned of grave consequences.
The reaction underlined how seriously North Korea’s threat is being taken this time. Kim Jong-il, leader of the reclusive state, has long used threats as a bargaining tool, and his colourful words are often dismissed as rhetoric. But since North Korea launched seven missiles in July, its neighbours have been reluctant to call Pyongyang’s bluff.
The UN Security Council on Friday agreed on a unanimous statement warning North Korea to refrain from testing a nuclear weapon, or else face unspecified consequences.
Should North Korea ignore the UN’s calls, the draft statement said, “the Security Council will act consistent with its responsibility under the charter of the United Nations”, in deliberately vague language but which could lead to sanctions or other measures.
According to the draft UN statement, “the Security Council deems that should the DPRK (North Korea) carry out its threat of a nuclear weapon test, it would jeopardize peace, stability and security in the region and beyond.”
“Such a test would bring universal condemnation,” it added, and called for an early resumption of the ‘six-party talks’ aimed at achieving “the verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula”.
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