Update: S.KOREA RAISES MILITARY READINESS LEVEL, YONHAP REPORTS; South Korean news agency Yonhap says U.S., China informed about the North Korea nuclear test on Monday
Just because it has been off the headlines for a while, the time has come for North Korea to remind everyone it is still there, somewhere, with what appears another underground nuclear test, a few short years after that last one from May 2009 [6].
- N. KOREA TEST ‘LIKELY’ TO BE NUCLEAR: S. KOREA DEFENSE MINISTRY
- S. KOREAN DEFENSE MINISTRY CONFIRMS DPRK NUCLEAR TEST
- USGS says earthquake of 4.9 scale detected in North Korea near to known nuclear test site - RTRS
- Seismic activity has been detected in North Korea. North Korea is not prone to seismic activity, it could indicate a nuclear test - RTRS
- Seismic activity detected in DPRK... believed to be "man-made" per various ROK sources - VOA
- Artificial earthquake detected in N. Korea - Yonhap [7]
- S. Korea's presidential office checking reports of artificial quake in N. Korea - Yonhap [8]
- Lee convenes National Security Council meeting amid suspected N. Korean nuclear test - Yonhap [9]
From the USGS [10]:
[11]
Abe, who will likely see this event as a catalyst for much more easing by the BOJ, issued this response [12]:
The Prime Minister’s instruction
(after the information of the implementation of a nuclear test by North Korea)
February 12, 2013 at 12:13pm
(Provisional Translation)
1 Conduct information gathering and analysis by the ministries and agencies concerned with a sense of urgency,
2 Provide the public with the accurate information,
3 Collaborate with the countries concerned including the United States, the Republic of Korea, China and Russia.
END
Of course, since this won't have any impact on the only wars that matter, the currency ones, it is unlikely that anything but more jawboning, and hard language out of both South Korea, the US and the UN, will come out of this attempt by DPRK to appear relevant.
And this just a bit earlier [13]:
After North Korea vowed to continue firing long-range rockets without mentioning a promised nuclear test, South Korea's defense ministry said Tuesday Pyongyang could launch missiles and detonate a nuclear device simultaneously.
South Korea has been put on high alert since the North last month threatened to conduct a third atomic test to protest strengthened sanctions for its December rocket launch, with some expecting the tension to enter the most critical phase this week ahead of political events.