Specter of a nuclear bomb test by the Kim regime fuels concerns of escalating crisis.
- Seismic activity may have been the North’s sixth nuclear test
- Japan conducts drills to remind citizens what to do when a North Korean missile approaches
Just hours after Kim Jong-un reportedly inspected a “super explosive” hydrogen bomb the nation developed for its intercontinental ballistic missiles, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake was detected in North Korea.
The US Geological Survey detected a surface “explosion” around 12:30pm local time and Chinese seismologists claimed that a second tremor was recorded at 4.6-magnitude minutes later at the same location due to a “cave in.”
The earthquake was detected about 14 miles from Sungjibaegam, where the North houses the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site linked to multiple underground tests since 2006, and were felt along China’s border.
South Korean officials believe the seismic activity was man-made and may have been the North’s sixth nuclear test, according to Yonhap News.
The Korean News Agency released photos of Kim and his lieutenants examining what was apparently a silver, peanut-shaped thermonuclear weapon, and raised the specter of a nuclear bomb test by the Kim regime.
Be it true or not, the North’s Sunday claim by the state-run media in Pyongyang escalated concerns in Washington, Japan and the Korean Peninsula about the state of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.
Last Tuesday, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over northern Japan, triggering widespread emergency warnings that jolted millions awake, before it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
In drills to remind citizens what to do when a North Korean missile approaches, sirens blared on Friday in towns like Takikawa in the northernmost main island of Hokkaido. In line with government warnings to seek shelter below ground or in a solid building, residents took cover inside.
Related report: Apr 29, Another Missile Test from Defiant North Korea