North Korea has been hit by an earthquake close to the country's border with its neighbour South Korea.
The tremor hit the town of Pyonggang, Gangwon region, and appears to be natural and not man-made, the South Korean Meteorological Administration said.
The quake was provisionally registered as 4.0 in magnitude.
The epicentre is understood to be some 40km from the heavily-fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Reports suggest that the tremors were felt as far south as Seoul, triggering sirens in the South Korean capital.
The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said the quake was at a depth of 10 km.
Earlier this month, North Korea lashed out at South Korea over recent military drills, state media reported today.
A military representative said recent South Korean military drills were a grave provocation that demanded a reaction.
North Korea cited a military exercise by the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) Air Combat Command on Wednesday, and said the drills violated inter-Korean agreements aimed at reducing military tensions.
On Sunday, South Korea said North Korean troops fired multiple shots toward a South Korean guard post at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which separates the two countries.
South Korean troops responded by firing warning shots, but no casualties were reported.
Speculation had erupted about Kim's wellbeing after the despot missed an annual birthday celebration for his late grandfather - Kim Il-sung, the country's founder - on April 15.
Some theories suggest it was possibly a body double at the fertiliser factory, with Taiwan's National Security Bureau (NSB) director-general Chiu Kuo-cheng reporting last week the leader was "sick" and contingency plans were in place if he were to die.
North Korea has said it has no cases of the coronavirus, but previously reinforced border checks and anti-epidemic measures.
Kim Jong-un sent a personal message to China's Xi Jinping congratulating him on successfully controlling the coronavirus outbreak there, according to reports.
The North Korean leader sent the verbal message in a dispatch to the Chinese president praising his country's efforts at battling the disease, said Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The bug, which has killed over 270,000 people and officially infected over 4 million originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan last year, allegedly at a wet market.
