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this just in from reuters:
By Jack Kim 30 minutes ago[/i]
SEOUL (Reuters) -
North Korea said on Monday it had safely
and successfully carried out an underground nuclear test,
flying in the face of a warning from the
U.N. Security Council.
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South Korea's military ordered army units to step up their
state of alert after the announcement by the reclusive
communist state, which came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe arrived in Seoul.
The
U.S. Geological Survey said it had detected a 4.2
magnitude quake in North Korea at 10:35 local time (0135 GMT)
on Monday, confirming a similar report from South Korea.
U.S. defense officials were still saying they could not
confirm a nuclear test, however.
Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said
there was no leak or danger from its test, which diplomats had
predicted would be conducted in the north of the country near
the border with China.
"The nuclear test was conducted with indigenous wisdom and
technology 100 percent," KCNA said.
"It marks a historic event as it greatly encouraged and
pleased the KPA (Korean People's Army) and people that have
wished to have powerful self-reliant defense capability."
Analysts say North Korea probably has enough fissile
material to make six to eight nuclear bombs but probably does
not have the technology to devise one small enough to mount on
a missile.
"If it is only one weapon, it would be a positive sign,"
former U.N. weapons inspector David Albright told CNN
television.
"If they conducted two, three or four tests it would be
more worrisome because it would suggest they were conducting
... a series of tests that would allow them to create a much
better arsenal."
RESPONSE FROM A CORNER
The U.N. Security Council last Friday urged North Korea not
to carry out a test, warning Pyongyang of unspecified
consequences if it did.
The nuclear test report pushed the dollar to a seven-month
high against the yen and helped push oil above $60 a barrel.
However, analysts did not expect long-term fallout unless the
situation deteriorated further.
"The economy of North Korea is virtually closed from the
rest of the world and its regional impact won't be very
significant unless there was a major military confrontation,"
said Wang Qing, an economist at Bank of America in Hong Kong.
Abe, speaking in Seoul after arriving from an ice-breaking
visit to Beijing, said Japan had no confirmation of a test by
North Korea. However, the government's chief spokesman said in
Tokyo that such a move would be a "grave threat" to Japan.
China, the closest North Korea has to an ally, described
the nuclear test as "brazen" and called on its neighbor to stop
any action that would worsen the situation.
Seoul and Beijing -- leery of instability on the Korea
peninsula -- have previously cautioned against backing the
North into a corner, but Tokyo backs a hard line toward
Pyongyang.
However, all three agree that Pyongyang should end its
nearly year-long boycott of six-country talks on ending its
nuclear weapons program.
"I don't think North Korea is trying (for) an escalation
that could lead to a military confrontation. ... I think
they're trying to respond from a corner," Albright said.
North Korea announced its intention to test a nuclear
device last week, saying its hand was forced by what it called
U.S. threats of nuclear war and economic sanctions. But it said
it would not be the first to use a nuclear weapon.
"North Korea is using this claim as a bargaining chip to
gain leverage so that Washington will take them seriously,"
said Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a political analyst at the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences and a former Indonesian presidential
adviser.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
North Korea gave China a 20-minute warning of its test and
China immediately told the United States, Japan and South
Korea.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Thatcher and Jon
Herskovitz in Seoul, Elaine Lies in Tokyo, Todd Eastham in
Washington and Jerry Norton in Jakarta)
10 minutes ago[/i]
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Monday it firmly opposed
North Korea's nuclear test, denouncing it as "brazen" in
unusually strong language, and demanded Pyongyang stop any
action that could worsen the situation.
ADVERTISEMENT
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China also urged North Korea to return to six-party talks
it has hosted aimed at dismantling the North's nuclear
programmes. The talks, which have been stalled for nearly a
year, also group
South Korea, Japan, the United States and
Russia.
"The DPRK has ignored the widespread opposition of the
international community and conducted a nuclear test brazenly
on October 9," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on
its Web site (www.fmprc.gov.cn).
The DPRK is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
North Korea's official name.
"The Chinese government is firmly opposed to this," the
Foreign Ministry said.
The statement used language that was unusually forceful for
China, a neighbor and traditional Communist ally of North Korea
that has advocated engagement and dialogue over stronger moves
such as sanctions.
"The Chinese side strongly demands the North Korean side to
abide by its pledges on denuclearisation and to stop any action
that would worsen the situation," it said.
"Preserving peace and stability in northeast Asia accords
with the joint interests of all sides. The Chinese government
calls on all sides to respond calmly, and upholds a peaceful
resolution through negotiation and dialogue."
By Jack Kim 30 minutes ago[/i]
SEOUL (Reuters) -
North Korea said on Monday it had safely
and successfully carried out an underground nuclear test,
flying in the face of a warning from the
U.N. Security Council.
ADVERTISEMENT
Vendor: Pointroll, Format: Polite
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South Korea's military ordered army units to step up their
state of alert after the announcement by the reclusive
communist state, which came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe arrived in Seoul.
The
U.S. Geological Survey said it had detected a 4.2
magnitude quake in North Korea at 10:35 local time (0135 GMT)
on Monday, confirming a similar report from South Korea.
U.S. defense officials were still saying they could not
confirm a nuclear test, however.
Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said
there was no leak or danger from its test, which diplomats had
predicted would be conducted in the north of the country near
the border with China.
"The nuclear test was conducted with indigenous wisdom and
technology 100 percent," KCNA said.
"It marks a historic event as it greatly encouraged and
pleased the KPA (Korean People's Army) and people that have
wished to have powerful self-reliant defense capability."
Analysts say North Korea probably has enough fissile
material to make six to eight nuclear bombs but probably does
not have the technology to devise one small enough to mount on
a missile.
"If it is only one weapon, it would be a positive sign,"
former U.N. weapons inspector David Albright told CNN
television.
"If they conducted two, three or four tests it would be
more worrisome because it would suggest they were conducting
... a series of tests that would allow them to create a much
better arsenal."
RESPONSE FROM A CORNER
The U.N. Security Council last Friday urged North Korea not
to carry out a test, warning Pyongyang of unspecified
consequences if it did.
The nuclear test report pushed the dollar to a seven-month
high against the yen and helped push oil above $60 a barrel.
However, analysts did not expect long-term fallout unless the
situation deteriorated further.
"The economy of North Korea is virtually closed from the
rest of the world and its regional impact won't be very
significant unless there was a major military confrontation,"
said Wang Qing, an economist at Bank of America in Hong Kong.
Abe, speaking in Seoul after arriving from an ice-breaking
visit to Beijing, said Japan had no confirmation of a test by
North Korea. However, the government's chief spokesman said in
Tokyo that such a move would be a "grave threat" to Japan.
China, the closest North Korea has to an ally, described
the nuclear test as "brazen" and called on its neighbor to stop
any action that would worsen the situation.
Seoul and Beijing -- leery of instability on the Korea
peninsula -- have previously cautioned against backing the
North into a corner, but Tokyo backs a hard line toward
Pyongyang.
However, all three agree that Pyongyang should end its
nearly year-long boycott of six-country talks on ending its
nuclear weapons program.
"I don't think North Korea is trying (for) an escalation
that could lead to a military confrontation. ... I think
they're trying to respond from a corner," Albright said.
North Korea announced its intention to test a nuclear
device last week, saying its hand was forced by what it called
U.S. threats of nuclear war and economic sanctions. But it said
it would not be the first to use a nuclear weapon.
"North Korea is using this claim as a bargaining chip to
gain leverage so that Washington will take them seriously,"
said Dewi Fortuna Anwar, a political analyst at the Indonesian
Institute of Sciences and a former Indonesian presidential
adviser.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
North Korea gave China a 20-minute warning of its test and
China immediately told the United States, Japan and South
Korea.
(Additional reporting by Jonathan Thatcher and Jon
Herskovitz in Seoul, Elaine Lies in Tokyo, Todd Eastham in
Washington and Jerry Norton in Jakarta)
10 minutes ago[/i]
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Monday it firmly opposed
North Korea's nuclear test, denouncing it as "brazen" in
unusually strong language, and demanded Pyongyang stop any
action that could worsen the situation.
ADVERTISEMENT
Vendor: Pointroll, Format: Polite
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if (window.yzq_a)
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China also urged North Korea to return to six-party talks
it has hosted aimed at dismantling the North's nuclear
programmes. The talks, which have been stalled for nearly a
year, also group
South Korea, Japan, the United States and
Russia.
"The DPRK has ignored the widespread opposition of the
international community and conducted a nuclear test brazenly
on October 9," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on
its Web site (www.fmprc.gov.cn).
The DPRK is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
North Korea's official name.
"The Chinese government is firmly opposed to this," the
Foreign Ministry said.
The statement used language that was unusually forceful for
China, a neighbor and traditional Communist ally of North Korea
that has advocated engagement and dialogue over stronger moves
such as sanctions.
"The Chinese side strongly demands the North Korean side to
abide by its pledges on denuclearisation and to stop any action
that would worsen the situation," it said.
"Preserving peace and stability in northeast Asia accords
with the joint interests of all sides. The Chinese government
calls on all sides to respond calmly, and upholds a peaceful
resolution through negotiation and dialogue."
