Chinese official says no radiation found after North Korean nuclear test

he Associated Press

Published: October 13, 2006
BEIJING Chinese monitoring has found no evidence of airborne radiation from North Korea's claimed nuclear test, an official involved in the monitoring said Friday.

The official with the State Environmental Protection Administration said China has been monitoring air samples since the test-explosion Monday. "We have conducted air monitoring and found no radiation in the air over Chinese territory so far," said the official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly release the information.

The official declined to explain how the monitoring was conducted.

Experts and governments have been unable to confirm North Korea's claim of a successful nuclear test. Japanese planes have scooped up air samples, but detected no radiation. Seismic data shows that there was an explosion at the claimed test site but is inconclusive as to the size of the blast and whether it was caused by a nuclear detonation.

The lack of evidence raises questions about whether North Korea is capable of assembling an operating nuclear bomb.

South Korean monitoring showed that the underground test was conducted in Pungkyeri near North Korea's northeastern coast.

In the wake of the explosion, the Chinese environmental agency activated contingency plans requiring air, soil and water testing, the Chinese official said. Results from the soil and water tests were not yet available, he said.

Local environmental protection bureaus in China routinely monitor air quality for pollution. An official at the environmental bureau in the Chinese city of Dandong on the North Korean border said that since the test-explosion his agency had been scanning air samples for radiation. He declined to provide the results of the monitoring.


BEIJING Chinese monitoring has found no evidence of airborne radiation from North Korea's claimed nuclear test, an official involved in the monitoring said Friday.

The official with the State Environmental Protection Administration said China has been monitoring air samples since the test-explosion Monday. "We have conducted air monitoring and found no radiation in the air over Chinese territory so far," said the official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly release the information.

The official declined to explain how the monitoring was conducted.

Experts and governments have been unable to confirm North Korea's claim of a successful nuclear test. Japanese planes have scooped up air samples, but detected no radiation. Seismic data shows that there was an explosion at the claimed test site but is inconclusive as to the size of the blast and whether it was caused by a nuclear detonation.

The lack of evidence raises questions about whether North Korea is capable of assembling an operating nuclear bomb...