China initiates contingency plan after DPRK's suspected nuclear test

BEIJING - The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) on Friday activated a contingency plan following a suspected nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The MEP initiated a Class-II emergency response at 8:35 am after a magnitude-5.0 earthquake was detected in the DPRK at 8:30 am, which is suspected to be the DPRK's fifth nuclear test.

Radiation monitoring stations in China's three northeastern provinces and eastern Shandong province are operating normally.

The MEP has started radiation monitoring at the country's northeastern border.