North Korea: Earthquake near nuclear weapons test site

Earthquake, 2.5 on the Richter scale, recorded Saturday morning near a nuclear weapons test site North Korea it was probably due to natural causes, South Korea’s meteorological and seismological agency assured. The new quake comes as nerves are on edge in Seoul and Washington, which have warned for months that Pyongyang is preparing to move new nuclear weapon test.

The earthquake occurred in an area northeast of the Pungeri test site at 02:54 (local time; yesterday Friday at 20:54 Greek time), according to the South Korean Meteorological Service. “It is estimated that it was a natural earthquake”, the agency said in a bulletin, adding that the focal depth was estimated to be 23 kilometers.

Several small earthquakes have been felt in the area this year, which analysts believe are due to geological instability due to the six nuclear weapons tests that have taken place in Pune.

For months, South Korean and US officials have warned that Pyongyang is preparing to conduct a new nuclear weapon test, its seventh in a row, possibly in the interim between China’s Communist Party congress (October 16) and midterms. US election (November 8). However, the South Korean Ministry of Defense emphasizes that it is difficult if not impossible to predict when a new test will take place.

For their part, Seoul, Tokyo and Washington have stepped up joint military high schools lately. On Thursday, exercises took place with the participation of an American destroyer, which belongs to the strike group of the US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

North Korea has conducted a record number of missile tests this year. Leader Kim Jong Un says the country’s nuclear power status is “irreversible”, erasing any possibility of resuming denuclearization talks.

RES-EMP

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