North Korea 'earthquake' near nuclear test site: South suspects explosion at Punggye-ri facility
Updated
A large tremor near North Korea's nuclear test facilities is suspected to be an explosion, South Korea's Yonhap news agency has reported.
The website of the China Earthquake Network Centre also described it as a "suspected explosion".
The US Geological Survey (USGS) put the tremor at magnitude 5.1, at a depth of 10 kilometres, with its epicentre 19 kilometres east-north-east of Sungjibaegam — placing it right next to the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
The North has conducted three nuclear tests, all at the Punggye-ri site, in 2006, 2009 and 2013.
The South Korean defence ministry said it was looking into the reports, while Yonhap said Foreign Minister Yun Byng-Se had convened an emergency meeting.
"Further analysis is necessary to determine whether it is an artificial or a natural quake," a spokesman for the Korea Meteorological Administration said.
The tremor struck at 12:30pm (AEDT).
In February 2013, a nuclear test 24 kilometres from Sungjibaegam triggered another magnitude 5.1 tremor.
More to come.
ABC/AFP
Topics: earthquake, nuclear-issues, korea-democratic-people-s-republic-of, asia
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