North Korea has launched three short-range missiles this morning, just after an underground nuclear test.

Pyongyang announced this morning having conducted a successful underground nuclear test, more powerful than the previous 2006 test which had led to international sanctions.

The test was immediately followed by the launch of three short-range missiles in less than 12 hours, leading the Security Council of United Nations to call for an emergency meeting today.

The first reports from Seoul suggest that the test was conducted about 15 kilometers from the first North Korean test center in the town of Kilju (North Hamgyong province), in the northwest of the country.

The previous nuclear test in 2006 had a power estimated between 5 and 15 kilotons, while the test made today has reached 20 kilotons which, according to Russian experts, exceeds the North Korean capacity of technical control.