A 2.4-magnitude earthquake struck near a North Korean nuclear test site, Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korea’s state weather agency.
The earthquake was felt 41 kilometers northwest of Kiju, where the nuclear test site is located. It was recorded at a depth of 20 kilometers.
North Korea conducted six nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri nuclear test facility between 2006 and 2017.
The 2017 nuclear test triggered a much larger 6.3 magnitude earthquake that was felt across the border in China.
The 2017 test sparked global condemnation, prompting the UN Security Council to unanimously adopt new sanctions that include curbs on oil supplies.
Monitoring groups estimated the yield of the sixth nuclear test to be up to 250 kilotons, 16 times the yield of the US bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.
After the 2017 test, Pyongyang said it had detonated a hydrogen bomb “with unprecedentedly high power”, saying it marked a “very important step” towards the ultimate goal of North Korea becoming a nuclear power.
A 2021 report by the RAND Corporation predicted that North Korea could have more than 200 nuclear weapons and hundreds of ballistic missiles by 2027.
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2024-01-11 16:13:00
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