SEOUL, February 12 (Itar-Tass) – South Korea is checking the information about a nuclear test in North Korea, after the South Korean seismic service registered “an artificial earthquake” with the magnitude of 5.2 points and the epicentre near the North Korean nuclear test site, an official in the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade said on Tuesday.
In his words, the South Korean government believes “with a high degree of probability” that North Korea had conducted the third underground nuclear test.
“Now the seismic parameters of the artificial earthquake testify about a most probable nuclear test in North Korea. There is high probability that North Korea conducted a nuclear test,” the South Korean official said.
“With due account of all circumstances, the tremors can be linked with the nuclear test,” another officials of the South Korean Foreign Ministry noted.
In this respect, the South Korean National Security Council is holding an urgent meeting with the participation of President Lee Myung-bak.
The South Korean armed forces and the US military contingent deployed in South Korea were put on high alert, the South Korean Defence Ministry reported.
The South Korean Defence Ministry reported that the blast power of the nuclear test in North Korea is estimated at 10 kilotons.
The earthquake of 5.2 points on the Richter scale occurred at 11:57 local time (06:57 Moscow time) on Tuesday. The epicentre of the earthquake was located in the Kilju County in north-eastern North Korea, where the country’s nuclear site Punggye-ri is situated.