Seoul's Defense Ministry has confirmed that North Korea conducted a fifth nuclear test on Friday.

A Defense Ministry official told reporters that a detailed analysis of the test is under way to determine whether the test was a success.

The official said that the seismic scale of the test is gauged at magnitude five on the Richter scale and its explosive yield is estimated at ten kilotons, the largest by North Korea. Analysts estimated the North's previous nuclear test on January sixth yielded six kilotons.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) said that it detected a magnitude five tremor at 9:30 a.m. on Friday from Punggye-ri located in Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province, where the previous test was conducted.

A JCS official said that further assessments are needed to determine whether the latest test was a detonation of a hydrogen bomb. The official said that the Seoul government had closely monitored the North’s movements on the possibility of a nuclear test.

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