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BBC - North Korea has staged a "successful" underground nuclear test,
the state-run KCNA agency reports. The agency says it was more powerful than the previous one in October 2006.
South Korea's president has convened an emergency security meeting and
Japan is setting up a task force in the prime minister's office. Just hours later, North Korea appeared to have test-fired a short-range
missile, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported. Pyongyang has so far not commented on Yonhap's report. Following the announcement of North Korea's latest nuclear test on
Monday, Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kazuo Kodama said Tokyo
would respond "in a responsible fashion" at the UN, without giving
further details. Russia's UN ambassador said an emergency meeting of the Security Council
would be held later on Monday. NUCLEAR CRISIS
Oct 2006 - North Korea conducts an underground nuclear test
Feb 2007 - North Korea agrees to close its main nuclear reactor in
exchange for fuel aid
June 2007 - North Korea shuts its main Yongbyon reactor
June 2008 - North Korea makes its long-awaited declaration of nuclear assets
Oct 2008 - The US removes North Korea from its list of countries which
sponsor terrorism
Dec 2008 - Pyongyang slows work to dismantle its nuclear programme after
a US decision to suspend energy aid
Jan 2009 - The North says it is scrapping all military and political
deals with the South, accusing it of "hostile intent"
April 2009 - Pyongyang launches a rocket carrying what it says is a
communications satellite
25 May 2009 - North Korea conducts a second nuclear test The military in South Korea formed a crisis team and went into emergency
talks. In Washington, a state department spokesman said officials were checking
the report, "but we're not able to confirm at this time". The European Union said that the development was "very worrying". South Korea's stock market fell 4% on the news, over fears that regional
tensions would rise. The test is bound to bring widespread international condemnation, the
BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says. 'Problems resolved' On Monday, KCNA said North Korea's test had been "aimed at strengthening
its self-defence nuclear deterrent in every way". "The current nuclear test was safely conducted on a new higher level in
terms of its explosive power and technology of its control." It said the results resolved "scientific and technological problems
arising in further increasing the power of nuclear weapons and steadily
developing nuclear technology". The report gave no details of the location of the test. However, South Korean officials said earlier that a seismic tremor was
detected in the north-eastern part around the town of Kilju - the site
of North Korea's first nuclear test. Both South Korea's and the US geological agencies said the tremor on
Monday morning indicated a nuclear explosion. The US Geological Survey said the 4.7-magnitude quake was detected at
0054 GMT. It happened 10km (six miles) below the surface. Last month, Pyongyang pulled out of six-party talks on its nuclear
programme, in protest against international condemnation of its
test-firing of a rocket on 5 April. The UN Security Council adopted a statement calling on North Korea to
comply with a 2006 resolution banning missile tests. Pyongyang says its rocket carried a satellite, but several nations
viewed it as cover for a missile test. The six-party talks - involving the US, China, Japan, Russia and the two
Koreas - have stalled over the failure of Pyongyang to verify the
shutdown of the Yongbyon nuclear plant. North Korea agreed to dismantle the facility as part of an
aid-for-disarmament deal and, in response, the US removed North Korea
from its terrorism blacklist.
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