North Korea earthquake – 2.1 magnitude tremor sparked by ‘explosion’
It comes as the secretive state has tried to brush off the development as a satellite launch site but the UN insists it is a missile testing facility, which could cause US relations to sour to their worst in a year
NORTH Korea has been hit by an earthquake tremor which has been reportedly caused by "artificial" activity.
The tremor was 2.1 on the Richter scale and it may be the result of an explosion in a mine, Korea Times reports.
According to the Korean Meteorological Administration, the epicentre was measured near the surface of the land in mining town called Pyonggang.
It said it was "artificial" seismic activity, presumed to be the result of an explosion inside a mine.
A spokesman said: "The epicenter is measured to be near the land surface."
But it comes after satellite photos are showing new activity at a North Korean launch site, and that's raising doubts that Kim Jong Un will ever give up his nuclear weapons efforts.
The factory produced the country's first intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
They are capable of reaching the United States.
BID TO PREVENT NUCLEAR WAR CONTINUES
Yet talks with the US are continuing, and President Donald Trump is still hoping for an agreement.
The president said yesterday his relationship with the North Korean leader remains "good," even though Trump walked away from their high-profile summit in Vietnam last week.
The US President said then that the North's concessions on its nuclear program weren't enough to warrant sanctions relief.
And he said he'd be "very disappointed" if reports prove true that Kim is rebuilding a launch site after promising in Vietnam to extend his ban on nuclear and rocket tests.
But meetings continue, and Trump said "we'll see what happens".
How North Korea has tested its H-bomb underground in the past
Nuclear devices are often tested underground to prevent radioactive material released in the explosion reaching the surface and contaminating the environment.
This method also ensures a degree of secrecy.
The release of radiation from an underground nuclear explosion – an effect known as "venting" – would give away clues to the technical composition and size of a country's device.
How exactly does the underground test work?
A test site is carefully geologically surveyed to ensure suitability - usually in a place well away from population centres.
The nuclear device is placed into a drilled hole or tunnel usually between 200-800m (650-2,600ft) below the surface, and several metres wide.
A lead-lined canister containing monitoring equipment is lowered into the shaft above the chamber.
The hole is then plugged with gravel, sand, gypsum and other fine materials to contain the explosion and fallout underground.
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