CTBTO says North Korea nuclear test 'much larger' than previous events

Record ID: 908656

  • Title: CTBTO says North Korea nuclear test 'much larger' than previous events
  • Date: 3rd September 2017
  • Summary: VIENNA, AUSTRIA (SEPTEMBER 3, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF UNITED NATIONS COMPLEX UNITED NATIONS FLAG UNITED NATIONS COMPLEX MODERATOR INTRODUCING NEWS CONFERENCE OF COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY ORGANIZATION (CTBTO) OFFICIALS SCREEN READING (English): "CTBTO PREPARATORY COMMISSION" (SOUNDBITE) (English) CTBTO EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, LASSINA ZERBO, SAYING: "We try not to speculate whether it's a hydrogen bomb or not. For us a nuclear test explosion shouldn't happen at all, whether it's hydrogen or not. But having said this, the physics of the event that we're talking about today seem to indicate a much larger event than the one from 2016 and before." JOURNALIST TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (English) CTBTO EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, LASSINA ZERBO, SAYING: "This time the event is much larger than the one we've seen and may be an indication of the possibility of them going further in their nuclear weapon programme. That's all what we can say." ZERBO LISTENING TO REPORTER'S QUESTION JOURNALIST SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) CTBTO EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, LASSINA ZERBO, SAYING: "At this point, we talk about a seismic events, we don't other associated events like radionuclides yet, those are yet to come, if any (are) released." CAMERAMAN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CTBTO EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, LASSINA ZERBO, SAYING: "This is an unusual situation where eight and a half minutes after the main event, the main blast that was detected by our international monitoring system, we have a second one, which is much smaller in nature. I think immediately, in the experience that we have in monitoring and detection from the international monitoring system, after any test you have an aftershock, but you have a series of aftershocks but here we have a single event that comes eight and a half minutes … and then we'll need more time to fine tune our analysis." JOURNALISTS WORKING ZERBO AND CTBTO OFFICIALS CLOSING NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 17th September 2017 15:26
  • Keywords: North Korea nuclear test CTBTO Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation nuclear test ban watchdog
  • Location: VIENNA, AUSTRIA
  • City: VIENNA, AUSTRIA
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: Defence,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016X1K7K7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Nuclear test ban watchdog Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) said on Sunday (September 3) that it had detected an "unusual seismic event" in North Korea that was "much larger" than previous nuclear tests.
    CTBTO executive secretary, Lassina Zerbo, told a news conference that the Vienna-based watchdog would not guess whether the massive event was a hydrogen bomb explosion or not, stressing that "for us a nuclear test explosion shouldn't happen at all."
    But he did say that the magnitude of the event "may be an indication of the possibility" of North Korea developing its nuclear weapons programme.
    North Korea said the test was a successful detonation of an advanced hydrogen bomb rather than a standard nuclear fission device.
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