North Korea’s Underground Nuke Test
25 May 2009 12:01 am by Taylor Marsh
… North Korea’s detonation of a nuclear device is being taken more seriously by the international community than its long-range missile test of April 5, which Pyongyang defended as a satellite launch. Leaders of several countries, including the U.S., U.K., South Korea and Japan, immediately condemned Monday’s actions.
President Barack Obama, in a statement, called the action a “matter of grave concern to all nations” and said North Korea was undermining stability in northeast Asia. “It will not find international acceptance unless it abandons its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery,” he said.
The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon New York time to discuss the North’s actions. …
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We’ll have to wait to get more information, as well as independent verification, which at this early stage the State Department says it cannot offer. Via the AP:
North Korea announced Monday that it successfully carried out an underground nuclear test, weeks after threatening to restart its rogue atomic program.
The country’s official Korean Central News Agency called Monday’s test “part of measures to bolster its nuclear deterrent for self-defense.” …
The Japan Meteorological Agency also said it detected seismic activity Monday morning. “We are checking whether they were due to a nuclear test,” agency official Gen Aoki said in Tokyo. …
