Yonhap (via the Kyunghyang Shinmun), quoting a key ruling party official, reports that the area around Kilju, North Korea experienced a 4.5-magnitude earthquake this morning that the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources presumes to have been man-made.
Here’s the USGS report (HT to KimcheeGI)
The official said it’s possible they conducted a nuclear test, so the government is now trying to confirm what happened.
An intelligence official, too, said it appears the North conducted a nuclear test.
President Lee has accordingly called for a meeting of security-related ministers for this afternoon.
UPDATE: Well, on a positive note, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il expressed his profound sympathy to the bereaved family of late Korean President Roh Moo-hyun in a telegram of condolence Monday.
UPDATE 2: The Chosun Ilbo reports that the North is claiming it successfully conducted an underground nuclear test this morning, citing a KNCA broadcast.
UPDATE 3: As Joshua the Western Confucian says, there’s never a dull moment on the Korean Peninsula. I also agree that, ultimately, this means diddly squat, unless you happened to live in the Kilju area. I prefer to look at it as a form of unilateral nuclear arms reduction on the part of North Korea — just one less nuke for them to use.
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Perhaps not surprising. I was trying to comment on this post last week, but it seems my comment never made it.
If it is true, it will interesting to see what the Chinese and Russians say about.
@Eujin:
If you included a link, that would have snagged your comment in Joshua’s spam trap. This happens to long-time readers, too. Joshua is rather busy these days and doesn’t check his spam trap regularly, so if that happens again, send him an email and he’ll fish it out.
Great, cue up the phone calls from our parents to question us why we’re in Korea…
Gotta love the timing of the North Koreans.
Well, Boom goes the dynamite.
Mr. Moa, I agree.
Yes, I think it was no accident it happened on the US Memorial Day.
#4 What better way to distract the LMB administration from conducting a full inquiry into RMH’s death.
It’s North Korea’s version of a 21-gun salute for comrade Roh.
#7
Lol considering the b***h treatment KJI gave him during his Pyongyang visit.
AP reports nK has just tested a short range missile as well. This is kind of a conflicting report becasue later the report mentioned it was a ground to air missile. Regardless, somebody had a busy weekend…
@9 I hope that those two tests were very unrelated.
One interesting question is, if everyone ignores this as well, what will they do to grab attention next?
Question for everyone, particulary the conservatives; If an Iranian nuclear deterrent solves more problems than it creates and might be beneficial to everyone—even Israel (see link below), then can similar things be said about North Korea? Should I be out in the streets celebrating a step closer to miltary stability on the Korean Peninsula? Is North Korea’s test good for the US?
http://www.amconmag.com/article/2009/may/18/00006/
US President Obama issued a strong condemnation and promised to work together with US Allies and the UN.
I think this means they will send over Hans Brix with a letter “telling KJI how angry we are”.
#13: “Hans Brix, you’re busting my barrs!”
He called KJI , Mr. IL, hahaha. Classic.
Tomorrow’s Hankyoreh editorial:
“We must not let this test, which in itself is not helpful for the peace and stability in the Korean peninsula but understandable from the North’s point of view, to interrupt the efforts to reopen the inter-Korean dialogue. On the contrary, as talks are the only conceivable way to solve this situation, this test should be taken as an opportunity to bring a new era into the relations between the South and the North. The ball is now in the hands of Lee Myung-bak’s government. South Korea needs to make the first move.”
And that is? Bend over, present, spread ‘em and take one for the “minjung”?
Antti: I know you were joking… but you weren’t far removed from the reality:
http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/opinion/editorial/356937.html
It looks like this one was not a fizzle, but a fissile.
I suspect Hankyoreh has some kind of a DPRK editorial generator. One doesn’t need to be much of an oracle to guess what the paper writes in these cases.
Sperwer: no, “minjung” is something that exists only in bourgeois societies. Once the benevolence of Dear General is extended to reach all Koreans, all they need is “minjok.”
Yaaaawwwwn.
North Korea finally smartened up and didn’t declare a test before hand. One wonders how many dud test have been going on up north before that finally had one that worked!
I’m bored with this NK’s nuke deal.
What these UN security council members going to do now? Even China & Russia can’t force NK to give up Nuke, what US going to do? bomb NK?
Does US and Japan wanting another war in pacific? Do US seriously have resource & time to attack NK. Don’t forget NK is not Iran or Iraq, NK is one of most strongest military nation, and very good at defense. Are we going to hear that Tokyo is A-bombed next time?
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