5.1-Magnitude Earthquake Detected Near A Nuclear Site After North Korea Reportedly Conducted A ‘Successful’ Hydrogen Bomb Test
A 5.1-magnitude earthquake was reportedly felt 19 kilometers from a nuclear site after North Korea claimed it successfully conducted a hydrogen test. The Sydney Morning Herald reported Wednesday that the reason behind the quake is still unknown, but it was compared to a 4.9-magnitude earthquake that was detected in the same area in 2013.
Reports revealed that the 4.9-magnitude earthquake occurred before North Korea conducted its third nuclear test at Sungjibaegam nuclear test site.
The recent earthquake was said to be man-made according to Korea Meteorological Administration. Its epicenter is in Yangang Province in the northeastern part of North Korea. The artificial quake occurred at around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday.
Korea Herald reported on the same day that a United Nations Security Council meeting will be opened to discuss the issue if confirmed to be true, according to an unnamed senior official from South Korea.
"The artificial earthquake occurred near Punggye Ri, the North's nuclear site. It has yet to be confirmed whether it was a nuclear test or not," the official told reporters. "We will analyze it to see if it is really a nuclear test. And then we will take due steps."
State Department spokesman John Kirby said they will monitor the situation although they have yet to confirm the claims of Pyongyang.
"We are aware of seismic activity on the Korean Peninsula in the vicinity of a known North Korean nuclear test site and have seen Pyongyang's claims of a nuclear test," Kirby said, as noted by The Wall Street Journal Wednesday.
Meanwhile, President Park Geun Hye said the matter is a serious provocation to South Korea's "security, threatening to the survival and future of [the] nation and further directly challenging peace and stability in the world."
"The government-in close cooperation with the international community-should have North Korea pay a price without fail for the latest nuclear test," Park said in a UN Security Council session in Seoul.