SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) – An undersea earthquake off the coast of North Korea was not caused by a nuclear test, the South’s media reported Thursday.
The 5.9-magnitude quake struck about 190 kilometers (120 miles) south-east of the reclusive state’s third largest city, Chongjin, in the early hours of Thursday, according to the United States Geological Survey.
North Korea has staged five nuclear tests — including two last year — and has made a significant progress in its missile capability under Kim Jong-Un, who took power in 2011.
But the quake, which did not trigger a tsunami warning, was not caused by a nuclear test, Yonhap news agency reported USGS geophysicist John Bellini as saying.
“It occurred at 500 km below the seabed,” he told the agency.
“It’s a natural earthquake.”
Tensions between Pyongyang and the US soared earlier this month when the North test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time, an apparent game-changer in its confrontation with Washington over its nuclear and missile programs. (Agence France-Presse)
