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China has been quietly and gently pressuring North Korea to scrap plans for a third nuclear test, said two sources with knowledge of closed-door discussions between the countries, but there is no indication how Pyongyang will react. If North Korea goes ahead with the test, China would consider taking some retaliatory steps, but they would not be substantive, a source with ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said. North Korea has almost completed preparations for the test, Reuters had reported in late April, a step that would further isolate the impoverished state after last month's failed rocket launch that the United States says was a ballistic missile test. "China is unhappy … and urged North Korea not to conduct a nuclear test near Changbai Mountain," said the source, who declined to be identified. China feared a radiation leak and damage to the environment from a blast, the source added. "China also complained about the environmental damage to the area after the first two tests." When North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, it caused environmental damage to the mountain straddling the border with China. North Korea ceded part of the mountain to China in 1963. It was unclear if the secretive North Korean government, typically unwilling to bow to outside pressure, would defer or drop the plans. China is the closest thing to an ally that North Korea has. "The impact on China's northeast would be huge," the source said of a third test. Chinese officials have discussed whether threats of diplomatic action would be effective, but any action might be restricted to some economic measures to signal China's displeasure and would not affect vital food aid for North Korea, the source said. A Western diplomat, who also asked not to be identified, confirmed that China has put pressure on North Korea to abandon the test. Major diplomatic repercussions were unlikely, however, said Jin Canrong, associate dean of the School of International S

SEOUL, May 16, 2012 (AFP) - A South Korean businessman has been jailed for three years for supplying potentially defective parts to the country's oldest atomic power plant, a court spokesman said Wednesday. The man, identified only as Hwang, was sentenced last Friday for selling recycled turbine valve parts to the Gori nuclear plant near Busan, the Busan District Court spokesman said. Hwang, 54, cleaned and painted used parts stolen from the plant's dump by an employee. He then sold them back to the plant, on three occasions since 2008, disguising them as new products. Hwang pocketed some three billion won ($2.6 million) through the fraud, according to the court. "The accused deserves heavy punishment for committing a grave crime that could raise serious doubts about the safety of the plant," the judge said in a statement. The plant employee who stole the scrapped parts, identified only by his family name Shin, was sentenced to three years in prison last month. There have been previous scandals over potentially defective parts at the country's atomic plants. Last month the nuclear safety watchdog launched an investigation at Gori and another plant, after they were found to be using components developed by a local company but based on illegally obtained French technology. The Gori-1 Reactor at the plant was also at the centre of a scare in February when it briefly lost mains power and the emergency generator failed to kick in. The outage was so short that the temperature of the fuel rods remained low. But several officials and engineers have been punished for covering up the incident. South Korea relies on 21 nuclear Reactors to meet about 35% of its electricity needs. This month it started work on two more, despite international unease over nuclear power following Japan's Fukushima disaster.