Skip in Skip x Embed x Share CLOSE North Korea says it has successfully conducted a nuclear explosion test. The country says the test will lead to it developing improved nuclear weapons. Nations around the world quickly condemned the test. (Sept. 9) AP 
 
 South Koreans watch a television news broadcast at a train station in Seoul on Sept. 9, 2016 . The broadcast shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. (Photo: EPA) 
 
 TOKYO — North Korea claimed Friday that it successfully conducted a "higher level" test of a nuclear weapon, its second in eight months and its fifth since 2006. The announcement drew immediate condemnation from the United States, South Korea, China and Japan. 
 
 The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on the matter Friday, and President Obama warned North Korea that the United States would use "the full spectrum of U.S. defense capabilities" to defend its allies. 
 
 “To be clear, the United States does not, and never will, accept North Korea as a nuclear state,” Obama said. 
 
 The North Korean government in the capital of Pyongyang said the test was of a nuclear warhead designed to be mounted on ballistic rockets and demonstrated that it was prepared to hit back at its enemies including the United States if provoked. North Korea’s state TV said the test was "examined and confirmed." The announcement followed seismic activity near the country's nuclear site picked up by foreign monitors. 
 
 The test violates United Nations resolutions and will further strain North Korea's already tense relations with the U.S. and other countries in the region. 
 
 China, an ally and economic lifeline for North Korea, was among the countries that swiftly reprimanded North Korea. 
 
 The White House said Obama, who was en route home from a summit in Laos, spoke by phone with South Korean President Park Geun Hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Obama said the allies agreed to work with the U.N. Security Council, China and Russia to impose new sanctions on North Korea. The U.S. will also deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to South Korea, Obama said. 
 
 Park called the detonation an act of “fanatic recklessness.” 
 
 Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike told reporters the city was testing water samples and monitoring radiation levels to gauge any impact from the test in Japan. 
 
 Previous U.N. resolutions have forbidden North Korea from developing nuclear weapons or ballistic missile technology but have had little effect. Seoul estimated the test may be the North’s biggest explosive yield yet. 
 
 "We are monitoring and continuing to assess the situation in close coordination with our regional partners," Ned Price, a spokesperson for the National Security Council in Washington, said in a prepared statement. 
 
 Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. expects its partners in the six party talks “to take necessary steps to ensure the (North Korean) regime understands there are consequences to its unlawful and dangerous actions.” 
 
 Earlier, South Korea’s military detected a magnitude-5 earthquake near the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in northeastern North Korea. It described that quake as "artificial." 
 
 The test coincides with the 68th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as North Korea is known officially. In the past, the reclusive nation has marked major anniversaries with weapons tests or other provocative actions. 
 
 South Korean news agency Yonhap reported the test is believed to have taken place in the same location where North Korea conducted its fourth nuclear test in January. 
 
 Pyongyang also conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013. 
 
 While North Korea’s nuclear tests are “unwanted,” they are no longer destabilizing, said Robert E. Kelly, professor of political science at South Korea’s Pusan National University. “We've known for awhile that North Korea has functional nuclear weapons," he said. 
 
 "The real issues are can they improve these weapons from basic atomic bombs to hydrogen weapons? And can they marry them to a missile so that they can deliver them? The answer on both counts right now is probably 'No,' ” Kelly said in email exchange Friday. 
 
 About 28,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, which technically remains at war with its neighbor to the north. 
 
 In January, North Korea conducted what it said was a test of a much more powerful hydrogen bomb, although the U.S. government disputed that claim. Since then the North has conducted several tests of medium- and long-range missiles as part of its push for a nuclear-armed missile that could one day reach the U.S. mainland. 
 
 Earlier this week, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan in an apparent signal of its displeasure with Group of 20 summit talks being held in Hangzhou, China. 
 
 Contributing: Oren Dorell in Washington, D.C. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2cbKDiT ||||| SEOUL North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday in defiance of U.N. resolutions, drawing condemnation from around the world, including from its only major ally, China, which summoned the North Korean ambassador to protest. 
 
 Pyongyang said the test was an act of self-defense against "U.S. hostility" and threatened stronger steps if necessary. 
 
 The test puts pressure on U.S. President Barack Obama on the day of his State of the Union speech and also puts China in a tight spot, since it comes in defiance of Beijing's admonishments to North Korea to avoid escalating tensions. 
 
 The U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting at which its members, including China, "strongly condemned" the test and vowed to start work on appropriate measures in response, the president of the council said. 
 
 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the third of his line to rule the country, has presided over two long-range rocket launches and a nuclear test during his first year in power, pursuing policies that have propelled his impoverished and malnourished country closer to becoming a nuclear weapons power. 
 
 North Korea said the test had "greater explosive force" than those it conducted in 2006 and 2009. Its KCNA news agency said it had used a "miniaturized" and lighter nuclear device, indicating it had again used plutonium, which is suitable for use as a missile warhead. 
 
 China, which has shown signs of increasing exasperation with the recent bellicose tone of its reclusive neighbor, summoned the North Korean ambassador in Beijing and protested sternly, the Foreign Ministry said. 
 
 Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said China was "strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed" to the test and urged North Korea to "stop any rhetoric or acts that could worsen situations and return to the right course of dialogue and consultation as soon as possible". 
 
 Analysts said the test was a major embarrassment to China, which is a permanent member of the Security Council and North Korea's sole major economic and diplomatic ally. 
 
 Obama called the test a "highly provocative act" that hurt regional stability. 
 
 "The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community. The United States will also continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies," Obama said. 
 
 U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said Washington and its allies intended to "augment the sanctions regime" already in place due to Pyongyang's previous atomic tests. North Korea is already one of the most heavily sanctioned states in the world and has few external economic links that can be targeted. 
 
 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the test was a "grave threat" that could not be tolerated. 
 
 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear arms program and return to talks. NATO condemned the test as an "irresponsible act." 
 
 South Korea, still technically at war with North Korea after a 1950-53 civil war ended in a mere truce, also denounced the test. Obama spoke to South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday and told him the United States "remains steadfast in its defense commitments" to Korea, the White House said. 
 
 MAXIMUM RESTRAINT 
 
 North Korea's Foreign Ministry said the test was "only the first response we took with maximum restraint". 
 
 "If the United States continues to come out with hostility and complicates the situation, we will be forced to take stronger, second and third responses in consecutive steps," it said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency. 
 
 North Korea - which gave the U.S. State Department advance warning of the test - often threatens the United States and its "puppet", South Korea, with destruction in colorful terms. 
 
 North Korea told the U.N. disarmament forum in Geneva that it would never bow to resolutions on its nuclear program and that prospects were "gloomy" for the denuclearization of the divided Korean peninsula because of a "hostile" U.S. policy. 
 
 Suzanne DiMaggio, an analyst at the Asia Society in New York, said North Korea had embarrassed China with the test. "China's inability to dissuade North Korea from carrying through with this third nuclear test reveals Beijing's limited influence over Pyongyang's actions in unusually stark terms," she said. 
 
 Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, said: "The test is hugely insulting to China, which now can be expected to follow through with threats to impose sanctions." 
 
 The magnitude of the explosion was roughly twice that of the 2009 test, according to the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty Organization. The U.S. Geological Survey said that a seismic event measuring 5.1 magnitude had occurred. 
 
 U.S. intelligence agencies were analyzing the event and found that North Korea probably conducted an underground nuclear explosion with a yield of "approximately several kilotons", the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said. 
 
 Nuclear experts have described Pyongyang's previous two tests as puny by international standards. The yield of the 2006 test has been estimated at less than 1 kiloton (1,000 tons of TNT equivalent) and the second at some 2-7 kilotons, compared with 20 kilotons for a Nagasaki-type bomb. 
 
 Initial indications are that the test involved the latest version of a plutonium-based prototype weapon, according to one current and one former U.S. national security official. Both previous tests involved plutonium. If it turns out the test was of a new uranium-based weapon, it would show that North Korea has made more progress on uranium enrichment than previously thought. 
 
 The United States uses WC-135 Constant Phoenix "sniffer" aircraft to collect samples to identify nuclear explosions. These would need to be deployed quickly to detect whether highly enriched uranium rather than plutonium was used because uranium decays to undetectable levels within a matter of days. Plutonium takes much longer to decay. 
 
 North Korea trumpeted news of the test on its state television channel to patriotic music against a backdrop of its national flag. 
 
 "It was confirmed that the nuclear test that was carried out at a high level in a safe and perfect manner using a miniaturized and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously did not pose any negative impact on the surrounding ecological environment," KCNA said. 
 
 North Korea linked the test to its technical prowess in launching a long-range rocket in December, a move that triggered the U.N. sanctions, backed by China, that Pyongyang said prompted it to take Tuesday's action. 
 
 The North's ultimate aim, Washington believes, is to design an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that could hit the United States. North Korea says the program is aimed at putting satellites in space. 
 
 Despite its three nuclear tests and long-range rocket tests, North Korea is not believed to be close to manufacturing a nuclear missile capable of hitting the United States. 
 
 It used plutonium in previous nuclear tests and before Tuesday there had been speculation that it would use highly enriched uranium so as to conserve its plutonium stocks, as testing eats into its limited supply of materials to construct a nuclear bomb. 
 
 "VICIOUS CYCLE" 
 
 When Kim Jong-un, who is 30, took power after his father's death in December 2011, there were hopes that he would bring reforms and end Kim Jong-il's "military first" policies. 
 
 Instead, North Korea, whose economy is smaller than it was 20 years ago and where a third of children are believed to be malnourished, appears to be trapped in a cycle of sanctions followed by further provocations. 
 
 "The more North Korea shoots missiles, launches satellites or conducts nuclear tests, the more the U.N. Security Council will impose new and more severe sanctions," said Shen Dingli, a professor at Shanghai's Fudan University. "It is an endless, vicious cycle." 
 
 Options for the international community appear to be in short supply. Diplomats at the United Nations said negotiations on new sanctions could take weeks since China is likely to resist tough new measures for fear they could lead to further retaliation by the North Korean leadership. 
 
 Beijing has also been concerned that tougher sanctions could further weaken North Korea's economy and prompt a flood of refugees into China. 
 
 Tuesday's action appeared to have been timed for the run-up to February 16 anniversary celebrations of Kim Jong-il's birthday, as well as to achieve maximum international attention. 
 
 Significantly, the test comes at a time of political transition in China, Japan and South Korea, and as Obama begins his second term. The U.S. president will likely have to tweak his State of the Union address due to be given on Tuesday. 
 
 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is bedding down a new government and South Korea's new president, Park Geun-hye, is preparing to take office on February 25. 
 
 China too is in the midst of a once-in-a-decade leadership transition to Xi Jinping, who takes office in March. Both Abe and Xi are staunch nationalists. 
 
 The longer-term game plan from Pyongyang may be to restart international talks aimed at winning food and financial aid. China urged it to return to the stalled "six-party" talks on its nuclear program, hosted by China and including the two Koreas, the United States, Japan and Russia. 
 
 Its puny economy and small diplomatic reach mean that North Korea struggles to win attention on the global stage - other than through nuclear tests and attacks on South Korea, the last of which was made in 2010. 
 
 "Now the next step for North Korea will be to offer talks... - any form to start up discussion again to bring things to their advantage," predicted Jeung Young-tae, senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul. 
 
 (Additional reporting by Jack Kim, Christine Kim and Jumin Park in SEOUL; Linda Sieg in TOKYO; Louis Charbonneau and Michelle Nichols at the UNITED NATIONS; Fredrik Dahl in VIENNA; Michael Martina and Chen Aizhu in BEIJING; Mette Fraende in COPENHAGEN; Adrian Croft, Charlie Dunmore and Justyna Pawlak in BRUSSELS; Mark Hosenball, Paul Eckert, Roberta Rampton, Tabassum Zakaria and Jeff Mason in WASHINGTON; Editing by Nick Macfie, Claudia Parsons and David Brunnstrom) ||||| A 38 North exclusive with analysis by Frank V. Pabian, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr. and Jack Liu. 
 
 New commercial satellite imagery confirms earlier 38 North analysis identifying numerous landslides throughout the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site on the slopes of Mt. Mantap (and beyond) resulting from North Korea’s sixth nuclear test. These disturbances are more numerous and widespread than seen after any of the North’s previous five tests, and include additional slippage in pre-existing landslide scars and a possible subsidence crater. However, it is unclear from the imagery whether this subsidence is due to what has been reported as “a cave-in that was externally observable,” associated with the 4.6 magnitude event that occurred eight minutes after the test. 
 
 There also appears to be increased water drainage in the North Portal Area, likely stimulated by the large underground nuclear test. Such underground water flow stimulation (brought about by expansion of existing cracks and fissures) could also be expected to promote the transport of radionuclides to the surface, and is not inconsistent with a more recent report that some radionuclides (traces of Xenon-133) were detected in the environment following the test (by South Korea). 
 
 Imagery from September 8 also shows a large tractor/trailer cargo truck in the South Portal Area for the first time, and mining carts and other equipment are present outside the West Portal. Such activity, coming shortly after the largest underground nuclear test conducted at Punggye-ri to date (via the North Portal), suggests that onsite work could now be changing focus to further prepare those other portals for future underground nuclear testing. 
 
 Revised Magnitude Estimates Raise the Equivalent Yield to Approximately One Quarter of a Megaton 
 
 At the time of 38 North’s first report on the sixth nuclear test, the preliminary seismic magnitude estimates varied from 5.8, as published by both the CTBTO and NORSAR, to 6.3 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). More recently, both the CTBTO and NORSAR have officially revised their estimates upward to 6.1. This revision is significant because, rather than providing an equivalent yield of about 120 kilotons derived from the lower magnitude estimates, the application of standard formula with appropriate constants shows that the yield can now be estimated to have been roughly 250 kilotons (one quarter megaton). This large explosive yield is also quite close to what 38 North had previously determined to be the maximum estimated containable yield for the Punggye-ri test site. 
 
 The CTBTO also published a very useful graphic illustrating the relative strength of this most recent and sixth underground nuclear test vis-à-vis the DPRK’s previous five acknowledged tests to date (Figure 1). 
 
 Figure 1. Comparison of seismic signals of North Korea’s six nuclear tests by the CTBTO. 
 
 Post-Test Commercial Satellite Imagery 
 
 Multiple satellite images of the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site following the nuclear test form a mosaic of new information on post-test effects and activities around the site. 
 
 Mt. Mantap and Its Environs 
 
 To date, we have only two seismically derived relative geo-location estimates for a more precise location of the September 3 test and both of them place the event under Mt. Mantap as shown in Figure 2A. The first, by the seismic analytical team at NORSAR, shows a roughly 700 meter wide error ellipse, while the second estimate by the Lianxing Wen’s Geogroup is a bit further to the west of the peak with a claimed error circle diameter of 200 meters. Both are consistent with our expectations that the North Koreans would seek to utilize the maximum available overburden (~800 meters) at the site using the same North Portal as was used in the previous four tests. 
 
 An apparent rectangular subsidence “crater” appears in the stratified volcanics at the basalt escarpment lip on the western corner of Mt. Mantap (Figures 2B and 2C). This “crater” is likely what has been reported as a possible “collapse chimney crater,” but could also just be induced slippage prompted by the massive tremor. We may know more once synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery becomes available to potentially plot the epicenter of all of the surface disturbances. 
 
 Figure 2A. Geo-location estimates for September 3 test under Mt. Mantap. 
 
 Figure 2B. Possible subsidence crater and several landslide scars visible in post-test imagery of Mt. Mantap. 
 
 Before: Image © 2017 Planet Labs, Inc. cc-by-sa 4.0. After: Image includes material Pleiades © CNES 2017. Distribution Airbus DS / Spot Image, all rights reserved. For media options, please contact [email protected] 
 
 Figure 2C. Close-up of subsidence crater. 
 
 Before: Image © 2017 Planet Labs, Inc. cc-by-sa 4.0. After: Image includes material Pleiades © CNES 2017. Distribution Airbus DS / Spot Image, all rights reserved. For media options, please contact [email protected] 
 
 A comparison of pre- and post-test imagery of the North Portal (Figure 3) shows some changes. Most importantly, imagery of September 4 showed a significant increase in the water drainage flow emanating from the tunnel used in the conduct of this test, suggesting that the tremors had likely stimulated that increased flow. On September 7 (Figure 4), what appeared to be two white vehicles were parked near the North Portal. (Note: The appearance of such vehicles is not a common occurrence and their presence could be indicative of a post-test inspection effort.) Recent rains converted much of the area from dry earth to mud, but no evidence of landslides was visible in the immediate vicinity of the North Portal. Other small, unidentified, objects were also noted in the parking apron located on the south side of the engineering operations building. More recent imagery from September 8 (Figure 5) shows that the white vehicles are no longer present. 
 
 Figure 3. Pre- and post-test imagery of the North and West Portals. 
 
 Images © 2017 Planet Labs, Inc. cc-by-sa 4.0. 
 
 Figure 4. White vehicles identified near the North Portal on September 7. 
 
 Figure 5. While white vehicles no longer present near the North Portal, equipment or mining carts are identified near the West Portal on September 8. 
 
 The West Portal 
 
 38 North reported new equipment being present outside of the West Portal on imagery from August 27, which was the first significant activity in that area since late March. The most recent imagery from September 8 shows some mining carts on the rail line that extends from the West Portal to the spoil pile. This may be a prelude to new tunnel excavation activity (Figure 5). 
 
 The South Portal 
 
 For the first time in over a year, activity was noted within the South Portal Area. A large tractor/trailer cargo truck was located in the area between the primary and secondary tunnel portals (Figure 6). The purpose of the vehicle is as yet unknown. 
 
 Figure 6. Activity noted at the South Portal in over one year. 
 
 The Main Administrative Support Area 
 
 Pre- and post-test imagery of the main administrative support area (Figure 7) shows little change and no obvious vehicle tracking. The spatial resolution and the perspective of the post-test imagery were insufficient to determine whether or not the monument/pavilion observation point had been removed. The greenhouse remains uncovered. Imagery from September 8 (Figure 8) shows a few minor changes, including the possible removal of the propaganda placards, although additional imagery from a more southerly perspective would be necessary to confirm. 
 
 Figure 7. Main Support Area shows little change in pre- versus post-test imagery. 
 
 Before: Image © 2017 Planet Labs, Inc. cc-by-sa 4.0. After: Image includes material Pleiades © CNES 2017. Distribution Airbus DS / Spot Image, all rights reserved. For media options, please contact [email protected] 
 
 Figure 8. Minor activities identified at the Main Support Area on September 8. 
 
 The Command Center 
 
 A comparison of pre- and post-test imagery of the Command Center (Figure 9) shows that a long white truck had been moved next to a vehicle parking shed located inside the courtyard of the Command Center in imagery from September 4. New vehicle tracking was also present in the courtyard area. However, that white truck was no longer present in imagery from September 7 (Figure 10). It is possible that this vehicle was involved in the transfer of test support equipment associated with the most recent test, although we cannot confirm this based on imagery alone. 
 
 Figure 9. Pre- and post-test imagery of the Command Center area shows movement of a white truck and recent track activity after the nuclear test. 
 
 Images include material Pleiades © CNES 2017. Distribution Airbus DS / Spot Image, all rights reserved. For media options, please contact [email protected] 
 
 Figure 10. White truck no longer present in imagery from September 7. 
 
 Other New Reporting 
 
 There was also one report of concern that Mt. Mantap might actually collapse as a result of the nuclear testing beneath it. Such reports of the mountain’s demise are highly exaggerated, although there is little doubt that there would have been significant “cracking” (possibly extending to the surface) as well as significant “irreversible strain” resulting from this event. Such cracking facilitates radioactive gas seepage in other environments. It remains to be seen, however, whether or not the North Portal will ever be used for another nuclear test. There are still two unused additional tunnel complexes (served by the South and West Portals) that are also deemed potentially capable of further nuclear testing, albeit for tests having lower yields than that of the sixth test. 
 
 Conclusions 
 
 Some of North Korea’s key claims, such as having conducted a large underground nuclear test (with a device capable of yielding “hundreds of kilotons”) have apparently now been corroborated, and evidently including the claim of having detonated a “hydrogen” bomb: “The United States has tentatively concluded that North Korea detonated an H-bomb over the weekend, as the regime has claimed, a senior U.S. administration official said Thursday.” However, the claim that no radioactivity was released may not be true. Detection of radioactive xenon-133 has been since reported in South Korea, although the official statement by the South Korean Nuclear Safety Agency was that, “The agency is currently tracking down the inflow of the material to conclude whether it is a result of the nuclear test.” 
 
 Additional information on the type and extent of the radionuclide dispersal will likely be addressed by the CTBTO in the near future. 
 
 We also see no reason to alter our previous assessment that regardless of whether this most recent test was an operational warhead for an ICBM or simply a device, the yield of the test clearly shows North Korean progress in increasing the yields of their nuclear weapons. The significance of this is that it has the potential to dramatically increase the threat posed by its Strategic Force (responsible for ballistic missiles) as individual nuclear warheads potentially now have 10-times (or more) greater destructive power. This would allow fewer missiles to be employed to ensure destruction of a given target, and increase the target areas threatened by North Korean ICBMs by allowing a larger number of targets to be engaged with the current missile inventory. If the claim that the device just tested has a variable yield is true (from tens to hundreds of kilotons), then this may also imply the North Koreans intend to adopt an expanded policy of using nuclear weapons, including tactical use, in addition to deterring threats to existence of the state. By doing so, they would join countries such as the United States, Russia, China, Pakistan, etc. that have policies regarding the use of tactical nuclear weapons,[1] clearly further destabilizing the Korean peninsula situation.
– In open defiance of the UN, North Korea has executed its third nuclear test, prompting global condemnation among leaders from the US to Russia to Japan. The latest test involved a "miniaturized and lighter nuclear device with greater explosive force than previously" in 2006 and 2009, the country said. Calling the test a "highly provocative act," President Obama has urged "swift and credible action by the international community," and the UN Security Council is planning a meeting this morning to address the issue, the New York Times reports. Pyongyang said afterward that the test was a "first response" to US hostility and warned of unspecified "second and third measures of greater intensity." The test has also angered China, Pyongyang's one major ally, Reuters notes. It's "hugely insulting to China, which now can be expected to follow through with threats to impose sanctions," says an analyst. Thus far, China has cited "firm opposition" to a test conducted "heedless of widespread international opposition," the AP reports. According to South Korea, seismic activity suggests the explosion measured some 6 to 7 kilotons—more than previous tests but less than the 20 kilotons detonated in Hiroshima. Seismic tests by several countries suggested the test, which the North called "safe and perfect," occurred near the location of its predecessors; the US Geological Survey says it was just a kilometer underground. Over at the Washington Post, the crack staff has found the exact test site—on Google Maps, just off "Nuclear Test Rd."