Yonhap News Summary

The following is the second summary of major stories moved by Yonhap News Agency on Friday.

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N. Korea says it carried out 5th nuke test

SEOUL -- North Korea on Friday said it "successfully" conducted a nuclear warhead explosion test, confirming that it carried out its fifth nuke test.

The North's Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station said the country carried out a nuclear explosion test to check the capacity of a nuclear warhead.

"We will continue to strengthen our capacity to bolster nuclear force," the media outlet said.

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S. Korea, U.S., Japan demand emergency UNSC session to discuss N. Korea nuke test

SEOUL -- South Korea, the United States and Japan urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to hold an emergency session to address North Korea's latest nuclear test, a government official said Friday.

"The three countries jointly asked for the convening of the UNSC," the official said.

The official said the U.N. council is expected to hold a meeting of its 15 member countries Friday (New York time) in response to the request.

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(LEAD) Park calls for Laos' support in responding to N.K. nuke test

VIENTIANE -- South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday called on her Laotian counterpart Bounnhang Vorachith to "actively" support international moves to strongly respond to North Korea's latest nuclear test, her office Cheong Wa Dae said.

During their summit in the Laotian capital of Vientiane, Park stressed that Pyongyang's nuclear and missile provocations "seriously" threaten the peace and stability of Northeast Asia and the entire world.

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U.S. experts call for non-verbal, real consequences for N.K. nuclear test

WASHINGTON -- North Korea's fifth nuclear test is sure to invite strong condemnation from around the world, including the U.N. Security Council, but such a business-as-usual response will be far from affecting Pyongyang, American experts said Thursday.

The communist nation apparently conducted yet another nuclear test on its founding anniversary Friday (Korean time), just eight months after its fourth test in January, with seismic signals pointing to an artificial quake near the North's Pyunggye-ri underground nuclear test site.

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Financial regulator to review contingency plans over N. Korea's provocation

SEOUL -- South Korea's financial authorities on Friday said they will review contingency plans in place for possible market turmoil caused by North Korea's provocation.

The Financial Services Commission (FSC) convened an emergency meeting of senior officials to discuss the aftermath of the communist neighbor's fifth nuclear test earlier in the day.

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Finance minister vows to tighten monitoring of market

SEJONG -- South Korea's top economic policymaker on Friday pledged to be on high alert to deal with possible wider volatility in the local financial market following North Korea's latest nuclear test.

North Korea said earlier it has "successfully" conducted a nuclear warhead explosion test, hours after an earthquake was detected near the country's nuclear site in the northeastern region.

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Top diplomats of S. Korea, Japan agree to seek 'additional' measures against N.K.

SEOUL -- Top diplomats of South Korea and Japan agreed on Friday to push for "additional" measures against North Korea's latest nuclear test, suggesting that there will be more punitive action on the communist country's defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons.

A magnitude 5 earthquake was detected at the North Korea's nuclear test site in its northeastern region at around 9:30 a.m. The North later confirmed that it has successfully conducted a nuclear detonation test.

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New sports minister pledges full support for PyeongChang Winter Games

PYEONGCHANG -- The nation's new top sports policymaker on Friday pledged full support to ensure the successful Winter Olympics here in 2018.

Cho Yoon-sun, appointed the new minister of culture, sports and tourism this week, visited the headquarters of the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, some 180 kilometers east of Seoul.

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