omonatheydid | North Korea detonates nuclear bomb

By North Asia correspondent Mark Willacy and wires

North Korea's state media has confirmed the communist state has conducted a nuclear weapons test.

It is believed the blast was much stronger than Pyongyang's first test in 2006.

South Korea says weather agency officials detected what they called an artificial earthquake in the communist North this morning.

The government in Seoul immediately accused North Korea of conducting a nuclear weapons test.

Two hours later the secretive communist regime confirmed via its state media that it had detonated a nuclear device, saying the underground test was successful and was part of the country's nuclear deterrent policy.

In response, South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak called an emergency national security council meeting, while Japan's government said it had set up a crisis task force.

The Stalinist North last staged a nuclear test in October 2006 but it is believed this blast was much bigger.

Location unknown

The brief report by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) gave no details of the location of the test.

However, South Korean officials said a tremor was detected around the north-eastern town of Kilju, near where the first test was conducted in October 2006.

"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea successfully conducted one more underground nuclear test on May 25 as part of the measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrent for self-defence in every way as requested by its scientists and technicians," the KCNA report said.

A spokesman for Japan's foreign ministry said it would respond to North Korea's nuclear test "in a responsible fashion" at the United Nations.

Meanwhile, a US State Department spokesman said the Obama administration was not able to confirm "at this time" that a nuclear test had been carried out.

The United States has begun consultations with its allies in a bid to establish facts about North Korea's nuclear test claims, the State Department official said.

"We are aware of the reports of a nuclear test by North Korea," the official said on condition of anonymity.

"We are consulting with our allies - once we have established the facts, we will have more to say."

Second test threat

The North had threatened a second test in protest at the UN Security Council's decision to censure its April 5 long-range rocket launch.

It announced it was quitting six-nation nuclear disarmament talks and would restart its plutonium-making program.

The communist state said the test had greatly inspired the army and people.

"The successful nuclear test is greatly inspiring the army and people of the DPRK all out in the 150-day campaign, intensifying the drive for effecting a new revolutionary surge to open the gate to a thriving nation," the KCNA report said.

"The test will contribute to defending the sovereignty of the country and the nation and socialism and ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the region around it with the might of [the military first policy] Songun."

Tremor

The US Geological Survey said it detected what it called a 4.7-magnitude earthquake in North Korea.

The tremor struck at 9:54am (local time), 375 kilometres north-east of Pyongyang at a depth of just 10 kilometres, it said.

"Both South Korean and US intelligence authorities are analysing and closely monitoring the situation," a presidential spokesman in Seoul said.

The test was staged while South Korea was in mourning for former President Roh Moo-Hyun, who died Saturday after being questioned in a corruption probe.

North Korea carried out what it called a rocket launch on April 5, but the United States, South Korea and Japan said it staged a disguised ballistic missile test.

After the UN Security Council condemned the launch and tightened sanctions, the North vowed to conduct a second nuclear test as well as ballistic missile tests unless the UN apologised.

The United States has been involved in negotiations with the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia aimed at scrapping North Korea's nuclear programme in exchange for energy aid under a landmark six-party agreement signed in 2007.

The negotiations deadlocked over a dispute with North Korea over how to verify disarmament, before taking a sharp turn for the worse with the long-range rocket launch.

- ABC/AFP

Audio report#1:N Korea nuclear test a 'slap in the face of China' (ABC News)

Audio report#2:Mark Willacy on North Korea's weapons test (The World Today)

Video report North Korea confirms nuclear test (ABC News)

It is believed the latest blast was much stronger than Pyongyang's first test in 2006, pictured (AFP)

NEW PICTURE OF APPROXIMATE TEST SITE

Source

N Korea 'fires missile' after nuclear test

North Korea is believed to have test-fired a short-range missile, just hours after carrying out a nuclear weapons test.

The action has heightened tension in the economic powerhouse of East Asia and prompted UN Security Council members to call an emergency meeting.

Earlier, North Korea's state media confirmed the communist state had conducted a "successful" nuclear test.

It is believed the blast was much stronger than Pyongyang's first test in 2006.

The UN Security Council will meet tomorrow morning to discuss North Korea's latest nuclear weapons test, Russia's ambassador to the UN says.

South Korea responded to the nuclear test by calling an emergency security meeting of its cabinet.

The US President, Barack Obama, has described the North Korean action as a "matter of grave concern to all nations".

"North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community. North Korea's behavior increases tensions and undermines stability in North-East Asia," he said in a statement.

The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has called the test deeply disturbing, while Japan has vowed "stern action".

"If North Korea conducted a nuclear test, it is a clear violation of UN resolutions," said Takeo Kawamura, Japan's chief cabinet secretary.

"It is absolutely unacceptable. Japan will take stern action against North Korea. Once the government confirms the details, we will summon a national security meeting."

The European Union also weighed in, saying it is extremely concerned by the detonation.

Britain's Junior Foreign Minister Bill Rammell described the nuclear test as a "clear breach" of UN Security Council resolutions and urged North Korea it to return to disarmament talks.

'Defending sovereignty'

Earlier, South Korea said weather agency officials detected what they called an artificial earthquake in the communist North this morning.

The government in Seoul immediately accused North Korea of conducting a nuclear weapons test.

Two hours later the secretive communist regime confirmed via its state media that it had detonated a nuclear device.

The North gave no details of the location of the test, but South Korean officials said a tremor was detected around the north-eastern town of Kilju, near where the first test was conducted in October 2006.

In announcing the nuclear test, North Korea described it as part of its policy to bolster its self-defence.

"The test will contribute to defending the sovereignty of the country and the nation and socialism and ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and the region around it with the might of [the military first policy] Songun," a brief report by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Hours later South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported the North had tested a short-range missile.

"A single ground-to-air missile with a range of 130 kilometres was fired from Musudan-ri, Hwadae County," the news agency quoted a South Korean diplomatic source as saying.

Musudan-ri on the north-east coast is the North's major missile launch site, from which a long-range Taepodong-2 rocket was fired on April 5.

- ABC/AFP/Reuters

Source

Spoons
~South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak called an emergency national security council meeting
~Japan's government said it had set up a crisis task force.
~The United States has begun consultations with its allies in a bid to establish facts about North Korea's nuclear test claims
~The Democratic People's Republic of Korea successfully conducted one more underground nuclear test on May 25
~threatened a second test in protest at the UN Security Council's decision to censure its April 5 long-range rocket launch.
~N.K announced it was quitting six-nation nuclear disarmament talks and would restart its plutonium-making program
~The communist state said the test had greatly inspired the army and people.
~The US Geological Survey said it detected what it called a 4.7-magnitude earthquake in North Korea.
~The test was staged while South Korea was in mourning for former President Roh Moo-Hyun
~A single ground-to-air missile with a range of 130 kilometres was fired from Musudan-ri, Hwadae County.

OMONA! ಥ_ಥ
Updating as news comes....

UPDATE: New picture of approximate test site
UPDATE: 2nd audio report added
UPDATE: Video report added (ABC NEWS)
UPDATE: Japan Seeks Emergency U.N. Session After N. Korea Nuclear Test
UPDATE: N.Korea 'fires missile' after nuclear test

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