ID :
62917
Thu, 05/28/2009 - 12:17
Auther :

S. Korean military relies on scientific agencies to detect N. Korea atomic test

By Sam Kim
SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean military relied on a weather agency
and a state geological center to learn that North Korea had set off an
underground nuclear explosion, a source said Thursday.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff was notified by the Seoul-based Korea Meteorological
Administration about half an hour after North Korea conducted its second nuclear
test on Monday, the source said.
"The JCS then immediately checked with the Korea Institute of Geoscience and
Mineral Resources to confirm it," said the source, who attended a briefing of
South Korean commanders following the test.
A team of scientists at the national weather agency detected what they described
as an artificial earthquake with magnitude of 4.4 on the Richter scale shortly
before 10:00 a.m., the source said.
South Korean Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee said this week the explosion could
have had a force of up to 20 kilotons, far more powerful than the first test
North Korea conducted in 2006.
The previous explosion is estimated to have had a yield of less than one kiloton.
According to a separate source, the South Korean military is operating a facility
north of Seoul to capture air samples that may carry radioactive material emitted
from the explosion.
The country has also activated its scientific agencies for the same mission while
the U.S. and Japan are conducting their own operations in the East Sea for a
final confirmation.
samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)

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