This just in from the AP:

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)—North Korea said Monday it has performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test. The country’s official Korean Central News Agency said the test was performed successfully and there was no radioactive leakage from the site.

“The nuclear test is a historic event that brought happiness to the our military and people,” KCNA said.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the test was conducted at 10:36 a.m. (9:36 p.m. EDT Sunday) in Hwaderi near Kilju city, citing defense officials.

Also:

The field of scientific research in the DPRK successfully conducted an underground nuclear test under secure conditions on October 9, 2006, at a stirring time when all the people of the country are making a great leap forward in the building of a great, prosperous, powerful socialist nation.


From Reuters:
South Korea’s presidential Blue House said a tremor had been detected in North Korea on Monday. It said South Korea’s Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources had detected a tremor of a magnitude 3.58 to 3.7 at 0135 GMT. Officials in neighboring Japan and China had no immediate comment on the reports.

From the BBC:
In South Korea, President Roh Moo-hyun convened a meeting of his top security officials following the reports.

From the AFP:
“The nuclear test was conducted by 100 percent of our wisdom and technology,” the Korean Central News Agency said. “Our science and research centre safely and successfully conducted an underground nuclear test on October 9, 2006.” The move came as Japan’s new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe began a visit to South Korea focused on pressuring North Korea to drop its planned nuclear test, and on improving bilateral relations soured by historical issues. Abe arrived from Beijing, where he and President Hu Jintao had expressed “deep concern” about the test plan and vowed to push for the resumption of stalled disarmament talks.

From the Sydney Morning Herald:
“The nuclear test is a historic event that brought happiness to our military and people,’’ Korean Central News Agency said. “The nuclear test will contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and surrounding region.’’ The US Geological Survey said no seismic activity had been detected on the Korean peninsula within the past 48 hours.But South Korea’s intelligence agency detected a 3.58 magnitude seismic tremor, the foreign ministry’s top spokesman said. “The government has received a report that there was a tremor of 3.58 sensed from North Korea’s northern Hamkyong province at 10.36am (1136 AEST),’’ Choo Kyu-Ho told AFP. He said security-related ministers had been holding talks at the presidential office since 11.30am (1230 AEST). South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun has convened a meeting of security advisers over the issue, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, and intelligence over the test has been exchanged between concerned countries.

That’s all there is for now. Tomorrow (Monday) will be an interesting day.

Related post: Mounting Concern Over North Korea (October 6)