DPRK expected to make special announcement following shallow earthquake

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is expected to make a special announcement soon on Wednesday after a shallow earthquake was detected in the country.

A 4.9-magnitude earthquake jolted the DPRK at 0130 GMT at a depth of 0 km, with its epicenter initially determined to be at 41 degrees 3 minutes north latitude and 129 degrees 1 minute east longitude, said the China Earthquake Network Center.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that an earthquake was detected 19 km northeast of Sungjibaegam, DPRK, at 0130 GMT with a magnitude of 5.1 and at a depth of 10 km.

In South Korea, whose meteorological agency said the earthquake was a man-made one, the Foreign Ministry convened a meeting to determine the situation, and the National Security Council has also called an emergency session, according to Yonhap News Agency.

Yonhap also quoted a DPRK official radio channel as saying that Pyongyang will make a "special and important" announcement at noon Pyongyang Time (0330 GMT).