Recap of nuclear tests under Kim Jong Un

China Plus Published: 2018-05-24 18:35:27
Comment
Share
Share this with Close
Messenger Messenger Pinterest LinkedIn

North Korea is set to dismantle its nuclear test site in the country's northeast this week.

A total of six confirmed nuclear tests were conducted at the site since 2006, including 4 during the tenure of Kim Jong Un as the DPRK's top leader since 2013:

This is an overview satellite image of the Yongbyon, North Korea Fuelfab, June 19, 2013. [Photo: VCG]

This is an overview satellite image of the Yongbyon, North Korea Fuelfab, June 19, 2013. [Photo: VCG]

Third nuclear test, Feb. 2013

North Korea announced it had successfully carried out its third underground nuclear test, showing up on the Richter Scale as a magnitude 4.9 earthquake.

Though North Korea claimed the test was conducted in a 'safe and perfect manner,' many countries expressed strong opposition.

China demanded at the time that North Korea live up to its commitment to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and stop any activities that may worsen the situation.

Fourth nuclear test, Jan. 2016

North Korea announced on Jan. 6 that it has successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test.

The DPRK claimed at the time the test was conducted in "in a safe and perfect manner," claiming no adverse impact was caused to the environment.

This test measured as a 4.9-magnitude earthquake.

Ryoo Yong-gyu, Earthquake and Volcano Monitoring Division Director, points at where seismic waves observed in South Korea came from, during a media briefing at Korea Meteorological Administration in Seoul, South Korea, September 9, 2016. [Photo: VCG]

Ryoo Yong-gyu, Earthquake and Volcano Monitoring Division Director, points at where seismic waves observed in South Korea came from, during a media briefing at Korea Meteorological Administration in Seoul, South Korea, September 9, 2016. [Photo: VCG]

Fifth nuclear test, Sep. 2016

North Korea announced on September 9 that it has successfully carried out a nuclear warhead explosion.

Marking Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test in defiance of UN resolutions, North Korea claimed the test was of a miniaturized device which could be attached to a ballistic missile.

Sixth nuclear test, Sep. 2017

North Korean media announced that it successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb that could be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile on September 3.

Photo shows a North Korean nuclear bombing of a cooling tower at Yongbyon on June 27, 2008, to unveil its commitment to denuclearization. [Photo: IC]

Photo shows a North Korean nuclear bombing of a cooling tower at Yongbyon on June 27, 2008, to unveil its commitment to denuclearization. [Photo: IC]

Nuclear suspension

The Korean Central News Agency reported North Korea will suspend nuclear tests and inter-continental ballistic missile tests from April 21, 2018.

As part of the announcement, the DPRK said it will never use nuclear weapons nor transfer nuclear weapons or nuclear technology under any circumstances unless there are nuclear threats and nuclear provocations against the DPRK.

Journalists from China, Russia, the United States and Britain gather at the Beijing Capital International Airport on May 22 to fly to the DPRK to witness the dismantlement of its nuclear test site.

The DPRK had previously dismantled its nuclear enrichment facilities in 2007 in return for food, fuel and other aid from the United States, China, South Korea and Russia.

Related stories

Share this story on

Most Popular