X

North Korea nuclear test triggers earthquake felt in China

The detonation was carried out in defiance of international sanctions.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
See full bio
Richard Trenholm
gettyimages-600977340.jpg
Enlarge Image
gettyimages-600977340.jpg

South Koreans watch TV news reporting North Korea's nuclear test.

 Woohae Cho/Getty Images

North Korea claims to have detonated a nuclear warhead in defiance of international sanctions, apparently causing an earthquake that was felt in China.

"This is in clear violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions and in complete disregard of the repeated demands of the international community," said Yukiya Amano, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency in a statement. "It is a deeply troubling and regrettable act."

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea was founded on this day, 9 September, in 1948. Coinciding with the anniversary, today's detonation appears to have triggered an earthquake measured by the United States Geological Survey at a magnitude of M5.3. It was the country's fifth nuclear test since it began testing nuclear explosives in October 2006.