North Korea Sets Off Nuke
North Korea announced Monday (Oct. 9) that it successfully conducted an underground nuclear test, ignoring repeated warnings from the international community.
The self-proclaimed test, the first by the communist state, dealt a serious blow to international efforts to resolve the nuclear crisis through dialogue, as well as spark an arms race in the region.
In a report by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the communist regime said the test earlier Monday was carried out safely and successfully.
South Korea's presidential office Chong Wa Dae said the country's state geology research center detected a 3.58-3.7 magnitude tremor in the North's remote area of North Hamgyong Province at around 10:36 a.m (local).
The U.N. Security Council is expected to deal sternly with the North's nuclear test, if it is confirmed to have taken place.
Last week, the council issued a chairman's statement in response to Pyongyang's public threat on Oct. 3 that it would push for a nuclear test due to Washington's hostile policy.