(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) TOKYO, Sept 3 (KUNA) -- North Korea seems to have carried out a nuclear test Sunday, South Korea's military said, according to Yonhap News Agency.
The 5.7 magnitude "artificial earthquake" that occurred in the Punggye-ri area at around 12:29 p.m. (0329 GMT) is "presumed" to be from the North's sixth nuclear test, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) announced.
The JCS said all South Korean troops have been put on high alert, with the North scheduled to commemorate its founding anniversary later this week.
"(We) are closely monitoring the North Korean military's move under South Korea-US coordination," the JCS said. Hours earlier, North Korea claimed that it has developed a hydrogen bomb that can be loaded into a new intercontinental ballistic missile.
The North conducted its first underground nuclear test in 2006 and carried out four others, including two last year, at the Punggye-ri site in the northeastern province. The previous explosion a year ago, presumably with a yield of 10 kilotons, triggered a 5.04 magnitude earthquake. (end).
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