Nuke test 'in mountain tunnel'
2006-10-09 11:31
Seoul - The test which made Stalinist North Korea the eighth declared member of the world's nuclear club is thought to have been conducted in a horizontal tunnel dug deep inside a mountain on its northeast coast.
The first scientists knew of it was when they detected seismic waves caused by an artificial explosion, but there was no immediate report of radioactivity.
Intelligence officials told South Korea's parliament the test appeared to have been carried out in a 360-metre-high mountain northwest of the Musudan missile base in the Hwadaeri region, according to lawmaker Chung Hyong-Keun.
He quoted an intelligence official as saying: "In consideration of the height of the mountain, the test appeared to have been done in a horizontal tunnel."
No radiation leak
The North's official media said it had successfully conducted an underground nuclear test under secure conditions, with no radiation leak.
"It has been confirmed that there was no such danger from radioactive emission in the course of the nuclear test, as it was carried out under scientific consideration and careful calculation," the Korean Central News Agency said.
"The nuclear test was conducted with indigenous wisdom and technology, 100%."
Seoul officials said the test was detected through seismic waves coming from the Hwadaeri region near the town of Kilju in North Hamgyong Province at 10:36 (0136 GMT).
Chi Heon-Cheol, head of the Korea earthquake research centre, said the seismic activity took place 15.4km northwest of Hwadaeri.
Explosion equivalent of 800 tons of dynamite
"The peculiarity of the seismic waves indicated there was an artificial explosion, not a natural earthquake," Chi told journalists.
The activity measured 3.6 on the Richter scale, which could be caused by the explosion of the equivalent of 800 tons of dynamite, he said.
No excessive radioactivity was immediately detected in South Korea, experts said.
- AFP