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.
A number of external agencies have confirmed a powerful explosion took place, suspected to be associated with a nuclear test. US President Barack Obama described the North Korean action as a threat to international peace. Crisis talks were being held in South Korea. Preparations for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council later on Monday are under way.
'Safeguarding sovereignty'
An official communique read out on North Korean state radio said another round of underground nuclear testing had been "successfully conducted... as part of measures to enhance the Republic's self-defensive nuclear deterrent in all directions". It said the test had been "safely conducted at a new high level in terms of explosive power and control technology". The test would "contribute to safeguard the sovereignty of the country and the nation and socialism", the communique said.
The US Geological Survey said a 4.7-magnitude quake was detected at 0054 GMT, 10km (six miles) underground. Geological agencies in both South Korea and the US said the tremor indicated a nuclear explosion. Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying said its systems had detected a blast of "between 10 and 20 kilotons" - making it much bigger than the 2006 test, which the US said was less than a kiloton. Just hours after the test, 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. The US state department said it was still analysing the available data from the test. But in a strongly worded statement, President Obama said the North's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatened peace and was in "blatant defiance of the United Nations Security Council". "The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants action by the international community. We have been and will continue working with our allies and partners in the six-party talks as well as other members of the UN Security Council in the days ahead," his statement said. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said any nuclear test by the North would be unacceptable". Another government spokesman said action would be sought at the UN Security Council.
Russia's UN ambassador said an emergency meeting of the Security Council would be held later on Monday. 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. Rocket condemnation The North 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. 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 had 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. But the North now believes it is no longer bound by its previous bilateral agreements with the US and agreements under the six-party talks, reports the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul, South Korea.
An official communique read out on North Korean state radio said another round of underground nuclear testing had been "successfully conducted... as part of measures to enhance the Republic's self-defensive nuclear deterrent in all directions". It said the test had been "safely conducted at a new high level in terms of explosive power and control technology". The test would "contribute to safeguard the sovereignty of the country and the nation and socialism", the communique said.
The US Geological Survey said a 4.7-magnitude quake was detected at 0054 GMT, 10km (six miles) underground. Geological agencies in both South Korea and the US said the tremor indicated a nuclear explosion. Russian news agencies quoted the defence ministry as saying said its systems had detected a blast of "between 10 and 20 kilotons" - making it much bigger than the 2006 test, which the US said was less than a kiloton. Just hours after the test, 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. The US state department said it was still analysing the available data from the test. But in a strongly worded statement, President Obama said the North's pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatened peace and was in "blatant defiance of the United Nations Security Council". "The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants action by the international community. We have been and will continue working with our allies and partners in the six-party talks as well as other members of the UN Security Council in the days ahead," his statement said. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura said any nuclear test by the North would be unacceptable". Another government spokesman said action would be sought at the UN Security Council.
Russia's UN ambassador said an emergency meeting of the Security Council would be held later on Monday. 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. Rocket condemnation The North 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. 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 had 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. But the North now believes it is no longer bound by its previous bilateral agreements with the US and agreements under the six-party talks, reports the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul, South Korea.
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