N.Korea Gave China No Warning of Nuke Test

January 07, 2016 09:20

North Korea did not officially notified China and the U.S. in advance of its purported hydrogen bomb test on Wednesday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing was given no warning of the nuclear test, unlike in the past.

The National Intelligence Service here believes that to be true, said lawmaker Lee Cheol-woo of the National Assembly Intelligence Committee.

The playground of a school near the North Korean border in Jilin, China shows a crack on Wednesday due to tremors caused by the North's nuclear test. /Newsis

Pyongyang had notified Beijing and Washington of the previous three tests, and the U.S. then sent the information on to South Korea, but not this time.

According to the NIS, the North notified China of its first nuclear test in October 2006 30 minutes in advance, and warned the U.S., China, and Russia of its second nuclear test in May 2009 half an hour beforehand. In 2013, it gave them a day's notice.

Park Hyeong-Jung of the Korea Institute for National Unification said this suggests North Korea is still peeved at China for criticizing its nuclear program and backing sanctions.

Seoul condemned the test and warned of consequences. "As we have already warned, we are going to seek close cooperation with our allies and the international community, including participants of the six-party nuclear talks, so that the North will pay a price for the nuclear test," said Cho Tae-yong of the Office of National Security said. "At the same time, we'll take all necessary measures, including additional sanctions by the UN Security Council."