S. Korea planning to step up ability to detect a nuclear test in North Korea

SEOUL, Jan 11: South Korea is planning to step up its ability to detect a nuclear test in North Korea, a government official said today, amid speculation Pyongyang may soon set off another atomic device.

South Korea's Meteorological Agency wants to set up a new department this year to detect seismic activity caused by events such as nuclear tests.

''Because there was confusion among agencies about the seismic activity from North Korea's October 9 nuclear test, we have decided to streamline the process,'' said Kim Seung-bai, a spokesman for the Korea Meteorological Agency (KMA).

Under the plan backed by the agency, the KMA would be responsible for monitoring all seismic activity and would take over responsibility for checking man-made seismic activity, caused by events like nuclear tests, from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, a government affiliated agency.

South Korea was among the first in the world to say on Oct.

9 there was seismic activity indicating a nuclear test in North Korea, but its seismologists initially erred on the exact location of the nuclear test.

The US television network ABC cited US officials last week as saying North Korea was preparing for another test. However, both US and South Korean officials have publicly said that there was no evidence a test was imminent.

REUTERS