S. Korean Defense Ministry believes DPRK conducts nuke test: local TV
Seoul, Feb. 12 : The South Korean Defense Ministry believed that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has conducted a nuclear test on Tuesday, a local TV station reported.
The report from local TV "Channel One" came shortly after a 5.1-magnitude earthquake was detected in the DPRK, a potential sign that the country has finally undertaken its third nuclear test.
China's seismology authority measured the temblor at 4.9 magnitude, with a depth of "zero" km.
According to Yonhap, the earthquake was detected at 11:57 local time (0257 GMT) in the DPRK's Kilju County, North Hamkyung Province, where a nuclear test site is located.
South Korea military has been immediately put on heightened alert to deter potential cross-border provocations following the reported DPRK test.
Meanwhile, the country's outgoing President Lee Myung-bak is set to convene a national security meeting to discuss the development.
A South Korean official said that the DPRK has notified the United States and China of its nuclear test plan a day earlier.
The DPRK vowed to proceed with missile and nuclear tests targeting the United States, its "sworn enemy," after the UN Security Council adopted a resolution to condemn its Dec. 12 rocket launch.
Pyongyang conducted similar nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009.