Tremor detected in North Korea may indicate another nuclear test

On September 4, 2017, reports focused on signs of a potential sixth nuclear test by North Korea, following its announcement of new weapons capabilities. According to reports from Yonhap News at the time, North Korea claimed to possess a miniaturized hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The prospect of a new test followed observations of earthquakes triggered by previous North Korean nuclear tests. These tremors had gradually increased in magnitude since the nation’s first test in 2006, indicating a steady increase in the destructive power of its nuclear technology.

Speculation suggested a test might occur on or around the September 9 anniversary of the founding of North Korea, repeating an action taken the previous year. However, the monitoring website 38 North stated that satellite imagery of the Punggye-ri test site did not show evidence that a blast was imminent.

Tensions in the region had already risen after North Korea launched a ballistic missile that flew over Japan. Prior to that launch, the farthest a North Korean ballistic missile had ever flown was 621 miles. In response to the escalating situation, a Chinese official, Ren, stated that Chinese forces were maintaining a normal alert status along the border and called for all sides to exercise restraint.