North Korea's Recent Nuke Test Likely Cause of Quake - S Korea's Weather Agency

The latest earthquake in North Korea's North Hamgyong province took place in an area where such tremors do not normally occur.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The earthquake occurred at 7:45 a.m. local time (22:45 GMT Friday) about 2.7 kilometers (1.6 miles) away from North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site, the agency reported.

"Kilju is a rocky area where natural earthquakes normally do not occur. However, the quake could have been caused by geological changes created from the recent nuclear explosion," the Yonhap news agency reported citing a source in the South Korea's Meteorological Administration (KMA).

North Korea's Nuclear Tests

North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests since 2006. The latest test took place on September 3, when Pyongyang announced that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be loaded into an intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea's actions triggered international condemnation and the UN Security Council adopted its toughest resolution against Pyongyang restricting oil exports to North Korea, imports of textile products from North Korea as well as the country's access to gas liquids. The sanctions also include measures on closer inspecting of cargo ships going in and out of North Korea.