[size=13pt]North Korea apparently conducts third atomic test[/size]



SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea apparently conducted a widely anticipated nuclear test Tuesday, strongly indicated by an "explosion-like" earthquake that monitoring agencies around the globe said appeared to be unnatural.

There was no confirmation from Pyongyang that it had conducted a test, which it has been threatening for weeks.

Any test would be seen as another big step toward North Korea's goal of building a warhead that can be mounted on a missile. It would also be a bold signal from young leader Kim Jong Un, who took power in December 2011 following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il.

The South Korean Defense Ministry, which raised its military alert level after the quake, said it was trying to determine whether it was a test. Nuclear blasts can create tremors but they are distinct from those caused by natural earthquakes.

A nuclear test would also be a challenge to the U.N. Security Council, which recently punished Pyongyang for launching a long-range rocket seen as a covert test of ballistic missile technology. In condemning that December rocket launch and imposing more sanctions on Pyongyang, the council had demanded a stop to future launches and ordered North Korea to respect a ban on nuclear activity — or face "significant action" by the U.N.

A world nuclear test monitoring organization said it detected what it called an "unusual seismic event" in North Korea.

"The event shows clear explosion-like characteristics and its location is roughly congruent with the 2006 and 2009 DPRK nuclear tests," said Tibor Tóth, the executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization. The DPRK refers to North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"If confirmed as a nuclear test, this act would constitute a clear threat to international peace and security, and challenges efforts made to strengthen global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, in particular by ending nuclear testing," Tóth said.

Kim Min-seok, a South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman, told reporters that North Korea informed China and the United States of its plans to conduct a nuclear test. It was not clear when Pyongyang told Beijing and Washington.

The U.S. Geological Survey as well as earthquake monitoring stations in South Korea detected an earthquake near a site where North Korea conducted its second nuclear test in 2009, according to the government-funded Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources.

"There is a high possibility that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test," said Chi Heoncheol, an earthquake specialist at the institute. Chi said a magnitude 3.9 magnitude earthquake and a magnitude 4.5 earthquake were detected in the North's 2006 and 2009 nuclear tests.

South Korean, U.S. and Japanese seismic monitoring agencies put the magnitude of Tuesday's quake between 4.9 and 5.2.

"We think it is possible it came about as a result of a nuclear test by North Korea from looking at past cases," Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference Tuesday, noting that they were still gathering information.

"A natural earthquake normally starts with a smaller tremor followed by a larger one. This quake's strength was the same throughout," according to Yosuke Igarashi, an official at the Japan Meteorological Agency. He declined to elaborate on the length of the quake or other details, saying the agency was studying the data.

The United States and its allies have been on edge since North Korea said last month it will conduct its third nuclear test to protest toughened sanctions over the December rocket launch.

In Washington, the White House had no immediate comment on Tuesday's developments.

North Korea's politburo vowed to continue firing "powerful long-range rockets," but a statement by state media Tuesday made no mention of a nuclear test.

North Korea's National Defense Commission said Jan. 23 that the United States was its prime target for a nuclear test and long-range rocket launches. North Korea accuses Washington of leading the push to punish Pyongyang for its December rocket launch.

Last October, a spokesman from the commission told state media that the country had built a missile capable of striking the United States, but did not provide further details. A missile featured in an April 2012 military parade appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, but its authenticity has not been verified by foreign experts.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/us-monitoring-agency-magnitude-49-earthquake-has-been-detected-north-korea

For more Live Coverage:
http://live.reuters.com/Event/North_Korea

Those sneaky snake North Koreans!!!

First they say their rocket is having problems and will require a few more weeks until they launch it then the next day BAM!! Rocket launch!!

Now they pull out of their Nuclear test site and say we're lying then BAM!! nuclear test!!



The US went to war with Iraq because they thought they were developing WMD's. Now they literally have proof that a country actually has them and is directly threatening the US, yet they do nothing?

Shocking...

Wished Ghaddafi too had one, I'm sure he would still be alive now!
So you guys should stop blaming Iran for going all out to get one, it's the best deterrence so far

What makes the North the most nervous is that, at the end of the day now, they don't think the Chinese will back them. The Chinese are seeing the business and economic ties with South Korea, Japan and the rest of the world as more important than the old game of Communist-State-Friendship.

The Chinese don't even trust their North Korean friends all that much. It's a very militarized boarder. The Chinese have lots of troops sitting on that boarder cause the North Koreans even make the Chinese rather nervous. They don't trust them to be rational actors on the worlds political stage.

^^^^^
And your point is?

Do you questioned the rationale of someone who has nothing to loose?
And has about 50% chance of something to gain, cos the world is afraid of nuclear holocaust
(I'm sure Obama and South Korea will soon beg them with the usual handouts to stop their madness)
As absurd as it may sound, North Korea feels quite threatened themselves. They are fully aware that between the ROK army and their US backers, they are militarily outmatched (caveats: manpower, nukes and artillery aimed at Seoul). Combined with a half-century of xenophobic propaganda, the DPRK's leadership may in fact believe that the "running dog capitalist gangsters" are the aggressors, and they need nuclear weapons to defend themselves.

I mean, that's clearly ludicrous, but it's amazing how much propaganda can be self-reinforcing.

Here's North Korean state TV announcing their third nuclear test

[flash=600,450]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tamxTC7Kwc?fs=1&hl=en[/flash]

As long as Iran doesn't acquire one, am okay. Because i can see our northern mallams planning to buy more bombs from Iran.

na2day!:
Those sneaky snake North Koreans!!!

First they say their rocket is having problems and will require a few more weeks until they launch it then the next day BAM!! Rocket launch!!

Now they pull out of their Nuclear test site and say we're lying then BAM!! nuclear test!!



The US went to war with Iraq because they thought they were developing WMD's. Now they literally have proof that a country actually has them and is directly threatening the US, yet they do nothing?

Shocking...

Wished Ghaddafi too had one, I'm sure he would still be alive now!
So you guys should stop blaming Iran for going all out to get one, it's the best deterrence so far

Yea! U.S are hypocrites. They attacked Iraq just to control the large amount of oil deposits in the country. North Korea has no oil, what benefit will they derive from attacking them. The same case applies to Syria. The atrocities committed by Ghaddafi is not up to half of that committed by Assad of Syria, but the western nations are only talking of diplomacy... Because they ll gain little by occupying Syria.

P.S: when will MEND conduct their Nuclear test!

What exactly is d problem of d Leadaship of these people for Goodness' sake??

North Korea aye!!!! Bravo!!!!!!!

North Korea di agbado inu igo ti adiye n wo lawo moju

Aint nothing like nuclear deterrence!


Little wonder the arrogant imperialists would stop at nothing to prevent Tehran from acquiring same



Who go wan try pesin wen nor get anything to loose and all to gain in a nuclear all-out?

what people fail to understand is that, whenever two or more countries have nuclear weapon, it literally means nobody can use it. The best way to defend your country from external oppression is to have one at least.

When you have weapons of mass destruction in the hands of mad men,you know the best you can do is wish for death to be painless&swift when it comes

See how this McDonald feed fat leader is endangering his nation, they get sense sha, cuz they know that they don't have resources to pay for their country being invaded by the yanks, but they are not a suicidal nation, they will still observe their limits

This is a good development atleast there will be balance of power in the world for now.Say no to western imperialism !

North korea is the most primitive, foolish country on earth, can you imagine a country where hunger is so bad that some parents eat their kids. Cannibalism is rampant there, yet they spend billions that can feed everyone on nuclear weapons and space programs. And the stupid populace are still loyal to the leadership. Meanwhile the leader is living life to the fullest with enough food and foreign prostitutes. This no doubth is the darkest nation on the planet!!

~Bluetooth:

This is a good development atleast there will be balance of power in the world for now.Say no to west imperialism !

if you think these childish knock out banger the north koreans call nuclear weapons even comes close to the stockpile of the u.s, u.k, france, which are everywhere in the world and even beneath the atlantic, then you've got a long way to go to understand nuclear technology!!

The war against the west is moving on.
More power to your elbows,N.KOREA.
It seems those countries under US-UN sanctions are the ones doing great and developing indigenous technology to survive and grow.
A US sanction on Nigeria could be what we need to shed our over-dependence on everything foreign.
*just thinking loud*

na2day!:
Those sneaky snake North Koreans!!!

First they say their rocket is having problems and will require a few more weeks until they launch it then the next day BAM!! Rocket launch!!

Now they pull out of their Nuclear test site and say we're lying then BAM!! nuclear test!!



The US went to war with Iraq because they thought they were developing WMD's. Now they literally have proof that a country actually has them and is directly threatening the US, yet they do nothing?

Shocking...

Wished Ghaddafi too had one, I'm sure he would still be alive now!
So you guys should stop blaming Iran for going all out to get one, it's the best deterrence so far

true. The US cannot afford to go to another expensive and lingering war again,certainly not when their even considering cuting military funds as a measure to help other stake sector. They'll rather fight the war on the diplomatic level with such policies to frustrate such bogus ambitions like that of north korea and iran. But there's always the last straw,especially where we now have direct threat from DPRK.

Never seen a country as paronoid and delusional as north korea. Hope they don't start another war that will bruise the world economy again due to chain-reaction.

Mcdondayan:
If one says the truth, should he be killed? Iran had a shipment of arms and amunitons sent to Nigeria and it was intercepted in a Lagos Port. Most of the arms used by BH are been suplied by Iran and left overs from Libya. Yes, Iran should not be spared if they go ahead with their nuclear programme cos they will use it for the wrong purpose. There are other countries with nuclear capacities, how many have u heard in contemporary times carrying out nuclear tests? Be wise

keep quiet,young man.
America,russia,japan,england carry out nuclear test regularly,but the UN always turn a blind eye.

Symphony007: if you think these childish knock out banger the north koreans call nuclear weapons even comes close to the stockpile of the u.s, u.k, france, which are everywhere in the world and even beneath the atlantic, then you've got a long way to go to understand nuclear technology!!

Most of the so called western scientists working in the west are from pakistan and the rest.The other day Iran brought down an american drone in her airspace. . . .The west no longer holds the monopoly of technology,others are coming up and will soon surpass it soonest.

If i become Nigeria's president tommorrow and i decide to develop indigenous nuclear technology,i will publicly disgrace and ignore any bastardd head of state/country/organisation that will tell me that i don't have a right to possess nuclear technology for whatsoever reason.
Nonsense.

daylae:
true. The US cannot afford to go to another expensive and lingering war again,certainly not when their even considering cuting military funds as a measure to help other stake sector. They'll rather fight the war on the diplomatic level with such policies to frustrate such bogus ambitions like that of north korea and iran. But there's always the last straw,especially where we now have direct threat from PDRK.

Never seen a country as paronoid and delusional as north korea. Hope they don't start another war that will bruise the world economy again due to chain-reaction.

I have never seen a country as paranoid as the US.
Why won't they be?
When they 've stepped on so many toes.

Mcdondayan:
If one says the truth, should he be killed? Iran had a shipment of arms and amunitons sent to Nigeria and it was intercepted in a Lagos Port. Most of the arms used by BH are been suplied by Iran and left overs from Libya. Yes, Iran should not be spared if they go ahead with their nuclear programme cos they will use it for the wrong purpose. There are other countries with nuclear
capacities, how many have u heard in contemporary times carrying out nuclear tests? Be wise

U need 2 wake up n face d reality on ground, bt bin brainwashed by d d western propagandas. Iran doesn't need any nuclear weapon to stand against any western bully. America, isreal, etc dt av nuclear weapons of mass destruction against humanity...r dey saints? Or wat do dey wnt to use it 4? We r both pointing a gun at each oda n u askd me to drop mine 4 peace, if u r sincere, y nt drop urs 1st. Oda countries nid to stand up against d devilish western bullies. America dt predicted d brk up of nigeria in 2015, dnt u tink dey r workn towards making it hapen tru d faceless bokoharam 4 naija oil? Iran hs no interest in nigeria 4 wateva reason, stop bin brainwashd by western propaganda.

This North Korea is really gong the way of Russia. I trust the West and its allies to make strenous efforts to clip its wings.

Despite all odds, this ppl continues to progress technologically

solomon111: I have never seen a country as paranoid as the US.
Why won't they be?
When they 've stepped on so many toes.

perharps the second on the list.

solomon111: The war against the west is moving on.
More power to your elbows,N.KOREA.
It seems those countries under US-UN sanctions are the ones doing great and developing indigenous technology to survive and grow.
A US sanction on Nigeria could be what we need to shed our over-dependence on everything foreign.
*just thinking loud*

U AR ON POINT MAN!!!

solomon111: The war against the west is moving on.
More power to your elbows,N.KOREA.
It seems those countries under US-UN sanctions are the ones doing great and developing indigenous technology to survive and grow.
A US sanction on Nigeria could be what we need to shed our over-dependence on everything foreign.
*just thinking loud*

U AR ON POINT MAN!!!

abouzaid: Despite all odds, this ppl continues to progress technologically

You mean weapons technology.
You remind me of the old hungry Russia fill with weapons.

USarmy: See how this McDonald feed fat leader is endangering his nation, they get sense sha, cuz they know that they don't have resources to pay for their country being invaded by the yanks, but they are not a suicidal nation, they will still observe their limits

no wonder your thinking was coloimperialistic

Well done and long life NORTH KOREA the only realistic KOREA in the world and more arms,power and missile to all your future test!!!