N Korea conducts Nuclear test. (1 Viewer)

[Rafy]

- North Korea claims successful underground nuclear test
- U.S. military: "Something clearly has happened"
- U.S. Geological Survey records 4.2 magnitude quake (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/ustqab.php)
- S. Korea: High-level meeting, stocks plunge
- Japan establishes task force to assess the situation
(CNN)

N Korea conducts nuclear bomb test
World swift to condemn N Korea nuclear test
North Korea's statement
Howard strongly condemns test
N Korea's nuclear test 'happiness'
Pyongyang joins a small nuclear club
What the analysts say

N Korea conducts nuclear bomb test

NORTH Korea has exploded an atomic bomb, the first "nuclear break-out" since India and Pakistan tested devices within a week of each other in 1998.

North Korea’s official KCNA news agency announced at midday local time that a successful test had occurred.

An official at South Korea’s presidential Blue House said the explosion was detected at 10:35am. It is understood to have originated from the Kilchu area of North Hamgyeong province in the country’s north-east.

"At this moment, President Roh Moo-hyun is holding an emergency meeting of the related ministers and, if this tremor is ultimately confirmed as a nuclear testing, this meeting will turn into a National Security Council meeting,” the official said. “We are promptly exchanging information with the concerned nations.”

Mr Roh is due to meet Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe about 6:30pm Australia time. Yesterday in Beijing Mr Abe and China’s President Hu Jintao jointly called upon the North Korean regime to abandon its test plans.

North Korea threatened the test six days ago, blaming “the US daily increasing threat of a nuclear war and its vicious sanctions”.

The US, Japan and their allies including Australia are expected to immediately press the UN Security Council to impose heavy economic, trade and diplomatic sanctions on North Korea.

A statement from KCNA said: "Our science research section has safely and successfully conducted an underground nuclear test on October 9," it said, adding that there was no leak or danger from the test.

South Korea's intelligence agency has detected a 3.58-magnitude seismic tremor, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

 

[HotShot]

indeed they have, the south koreans have pretty much confirmet it,

LA Times

World News Australia

well good on them a nice achievement. After it was all in the name of security and defence - sound familiar?

 

[Captain Gh3y]

Another sucess for the UN.

 

[dandel26]

Yep, i wonder what the US will do and more importantly what China will do. My bet is weak economic sanctions that will be revised in a couple of years, i doubt war will come from this

 

[_dhj_]

Watch the japs take advantage of the situation.

 

[HotShot]

Watch the japs take advantage of the situation.

how?

 

[_dhj_]

by using NK as an excuse to accelerate rearmament and go nuclear.

 

[HotShot]

by using NK as an excuse to accelerate rearmament and go nuclear.

hmm.. i see. yeah i dont see why not. But japan's history will make it difficult for them. PLus i am not sure if all lot japanese with prospect of that - but the scientists, government and defence force will be all over it.

I pretty sure that China will be able to manage NK - so hopefully nothing drastic should happen. LOL the stock market in asia is taken a hit - LOL bunch of speculators.

 

[melb22]

i dont see a military intervention. Usa and western countries will jump for a while and all will settle down gradually. There would be some economic sanctions but that would make the nth korean govt's. grip on power even stronger since then they would be able to blame every internal problem coz of the sanctions. I personally dont see china would make any aggressive step towards nth korea, as they know the weapons are not targetted towards them, why should they interfere when it wont be affecting them. There would be some tough talk by them and nothing else. Now there will be even more pressure on iran coz of this thing lol.

The thing over here is if china had never passed on nuclear info this day would not have come this early. First they helped pakistan to make the bomb. Later on pakistan passed on the knowledge to iran and nth korea.

 

[banco55]

i dont see a military intervention. Usa and western countries will jump for a while and all will settle down gradually. There would be some economic sanctions but that would make the nth korean govt's. grip on power even stronger since then they would be able to blame every internal problem coz of the sanctions. I personally dont see china would make any aggressive step towards nth korea, as they know the weapons are not targetted towards them, why should they interfere when it wont be affecting them. There would be some tough talk by them and nothing else. Now there will be even more pressure on iran coz of this thing lol.

The thing over here is if china had never passed on nuclear info this day would not have come this early. First they helped pakistan to make the bomb. Later on pakistan passed on the knowledge to iran and nth korea.

Once you go nuclear you are basically immune from military intervention. That's why countries go nuclear.

 

[Raginsheep]

According to wiki......it was a bit of a fizzer anyways.

 

[P_Dilemma]

Who here's scared? I'm half half, just praying ppl won't be stupid enough to risk allout war.

-P_D

 

[sunjet]

Not only Japan but most of the asian countries in the region would use it as an excuse.

 

[Serius]

i dont see any real threat, not yet anyway. American defences could knock out those peices of shit north korea call missiles, and its not like they have enough armament to flood the grid.

Now they know how to do it , in 10-20 years they could build up enough peices of shit to make the cold war stockpiles look like Louise's rainy day savings.

Australia would never be in any real danger, atleast i hope not.

This could get scary if north korea decides to push the border though.

 

[jemsta]

if there was a real threat north korea would be wiped off the map

 

[what971]

by using NK as an excuse to accelerate rearmament and go nuclear.

Loving it. NK getting the nukes means that its only a matter of time until Japan gets the nukes, Korea gets the nukes and (perhaps even) Taiwan getting the nukes. And we all know they've had the capability since the 70s.

Who loses in this NK test crisis? China. China loses because it loses face in the international community and because it loses it nuclear monopoly in East Asia.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

They can't aim their missles and even if they could their nukes are too big to be carried by them.

They aren't a real threat. They will never be allowed to become a real threat. If they continue how they are going its just a matter of time before someone attacks them.

 

[what971]

if there was a real threat north korea would be wiped off the map

I think you're underestimating North Korea's military capabilities too much there.

 

[HotShot]

Loving it. NK getting the nukes means that its only a matter of time until Japan gets the nukes, Korea gets the nukes and (perhaps even) Taiwan getting the nukes. And we all know they've had the capability since the 70s.

Who loses in this NK test crisis? China. China loses because it loses face in the international community and because it loses it nuclear monopoly in East Asia.

i am pretty sure india has more nukes than China. Then you also have pakistan who have nukes as well. Of those three countries i am sure will not allow any other country to further develop nuclear weapons.

At least China will not allow Japan at any cost to gain nuclear weapons.

 

[jemsta]

maybe i am
but with their closest allies condemning them, should they be any threat to the safety of other countries, i think they would no doubt hesitate to jump in and attack them