Yonhap News Summary

The following is the first summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency
on Monday.

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(LEAD) N. Korea confirms 2nd nuclear test
SEOUL -- North Korea confirmed that it has "successfully" conducted its second
nuclear test on Monday, following a warning of retaliation it issued last month
after the U.N.'s condemnation of its rocket launch.
"The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) successfully conducted
one more underground nuclear test on May 25 as part of measures to bolster its
nuclear deterrent for self-defence," the official Korean Central News Agency
said.
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(2nd LD) S. Korea detects tremors as N. Korea conducts nuclear test
SEOUL -- North Korea said it conducted a second nuclear test on Monday, as South
Korean officials said they detected tremors of an "artificial earthquake" in the
communist state.
"An artificial earthquake was detected at 9:54 this morning near Poongkye-ri in
North Hamkyong Province," Lee Dong-kwan, a spokesman for the presidential office
Cheong Wa Dae, told reporters.
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S. Korea convenes 'crisis management team' of general-level officers
SEOUL -- South Korea's defense ministry said it launched a "crisis management"
team of general-level officers Monday to deal with the latest North Korean
nuclear test.
"The team will come up with measures to respond to the test," said Lee Bung-woo,
a spokesman at the Ministry of National Defense, adding the military has yet to
put its troops on heightened alert.
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N. Korea's 2nd nuke test occurred few kilometers from previous test site: weather
agency
SEOUL -- North Korea's second nuclear test on Monday appeared to have taken place
10-15 km away from the site of the first test in the country's northeast, Seoul's
weather agency said.
Pyongyang's state media confirmed the country has "successfully" conducted the
underground nuclear test but did not say where it took place.
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U.S. not able to confirm N. Korea's claim on nuke test: State Dept.
WASHINGTON -- The United States said Monday that it was trying to determine the
authenticity of North Korea's claim that it conducted a second nuclear test just
hours earlier.
"We are aware of the reports of a nuclear test by North Korea," a State
Department official said, requesting anonymity. "We are consulting with our
allies. Once we have established the facts, we will have more to say. At this
point, I do not have a timeline as to when there will be more to say."
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S. Korea, Japan agree on U.N.-level reaction to N. Korea nuke test
HANOI -- South Korea and Japan agreed Monday to seek U.N.-level punishment
against North Korea's second nuclear test, officials said.
The agreement came at a meeting between Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan and his
Japanese counterpart Hirofumi Nakasone held here on the sidelines of the
Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM).
The ministers said they "call for the U.N. Security Council to convene an
emergency meeting on the issue as early as possible," a senior South Korean
official said, asking not to be named.
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S. Korea's financial markets fall on N. Korean nuclear test report
SEOUL -- South Korea's stock and currency markets sharply lost ground late Monday
morning on reports that North Korea has conducted a second nuclear test, analysts
said.
The presidential office and government officials said earlier in the day that
South Korea has detected an "artificial earthquake" in North Korea, suggesting
the communist state went ahead with its threat to conduct a nuclear test.
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Lingering financial risks threat S. Korean economy
SEOUL -- The South Korean economy is still confronted with lingering financial
risks despite budding signs of a recovery, a business body said Monday, urging
the government to address them swiftly.
The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) said in a report that the
country's financial industry has been threatened by five risks -- a rise in bad
debts, falling net interest margins, growing market instability, a slumping
housing market and a reduction in the middle income households.
(END)