NKorea 'probably' conducted nuclear test in May: US intel

Posted 06 21 2009 5:35AM

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US intelligence chief said Monday that a scientific analysis has concluded that North Korea "probably" carried out a second nuclear test in May with a yield of "a few kilotons."

Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair announced the finding in a statement issued amid concerns that North Korea may be preparing for yet another nuclear test.

"The US intelligence community assesses that North Korea probably conducted an underground nuclear explosion in the vicinity of P'unggye on May 25, 2009. The explosion yield was approximately a few kilotons," Blair said.

An estimate by Russia's defense ministry at the end of May put the estimated yield of the underground explosion at 10 to 20 kilotons.

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak, meanwhile, arrived Monday in Washington for talks Tuesday with President Barack Obama about North Korea, which also recently tested a long range missile.

The UN Security Council unanimously decided Friday to tighten financial and other sanctions in response to the May 25 nuclear test, North Korea's second since October 2006.

Pyongyang reacted Saturday with defiant vows to build more bombs and to start on a new weapons program based on uranium enrichment.

It was the first time that Pyongyang had said it would pursue a uranium enrichment program, having previously denied US charges that it had a clandestine program to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons.

US intelligence officials have warned Obama that North Korea will conduct another nuclear test in response to the toughened sanctions, according to US media reports last week, citing intelligence sources.