Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - North Korea may have just tested its first nuclear bomb

09-11-2004, 08:21 PM

Quote:

'Major blast' hits North Korea

Sunday, September 12, 2004 Posted: 0320 GMT (1120 HKT)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- A large explosion occurred in the northern part of North Korea on an important anniversary of the communist regime, a South Korean news agency reported Sunday.

The Yonhap news agency, citing an unidentified source in Beijing, said the explosion happened Thursday in Yanggang province near the border with China. The explosion in Kim Hyong Jik county blasted a crater big enough to be noticed by a satellite, the source said.

North Korea was founded Sept. 9, 1948. Leader Kim Jong Il uses the occasion to stage performances and other events to bolster loyalty among the impoverished North Korean population.

Experts have speculated that North Korea might use a major anniversary to conduct a nuclear-related test, though there was no immediate indication that Thursday's reported explosion was linked to Pyongyang's efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

That effort has led to six-nation talks aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its atomic weapons programs.

On April 22, train wagons at a railway station exploded in the North Korean town of Ryongchon, killing 160 people and injuring an estimated 1,300, according to some estimates. The blast was believed to have been sparked by a train laden with oil and chemicals that hit power lines.

The source in the Yonhap report said Thursday's explosion reportedly was bigger than the train explosion.

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

This is the reported place of explosion, on the border of China and North Korea.

Updates:

Earthquake seismometers seem to have not picked up the blast.
South Korean minister says blast probably not atomic.

Update 1:57am EST:
Link

Quote:

From the South Korean news agency Yonhap:
(LEAD) Mushroom Cloud Spotted at North Korean Border: Sources

(ATTN: ADDS details of Seoul source comment in 4th para, unification minister's comment in 5th para, COMBINES previous dispatch from Beijing and background from 6th para)
SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- A reliable source in Seoul's
diplomatic community said Sunday that a mushroom cloud with a radius of 3.5 to 4 kilometers was spotted, along with a massive explosion, in Kimhyongjik County in North Korea's northernmost inland province of Yanggang on Sept. 9.

"The Sept. 9 explosion occurred at around 11 a.m.," the source said. "But it is not clear yet whether the explosion is related to an intentional nuclear experiment or a simple accident."

<u><b>He noted that the site of the explosion and mushroom cloud is not far from the North's Daepodong missile base.</b></u>

Another source in Seoul said that the radius of the mushroom cloud was between 3.2 kilometers and 3.5 kilometers.

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said the government is trying to confirm whether or not a huge explosion occurred in North Korea. He said he was not aware of the scale of the blast and played down the possibility of a North Korean nuclear weapons test.

Earlier in the day, a reliable source in Beijing also said a large explosion occurred in the province of Yanggang on Sept. 9.

Sept. 9 was the 56th anniversary of the North's founding and the country's government had organized various arts performances and sporting events that included a pledge of loyalty to leader Kim Jong-il.

The Chinese source said the explosion took place in Kimhyongjik County, near the Chinese border, saying it was probably bigger than the explosion that largely destroyed another North Korean border town, Ryongchon, on April 22.

"The explosion was reportedly bigger than the one in Ryongchon," the Beijing source said. "The United States has also shown strong interest in the Sept. 9 explosion after spotting its traces by satellite. Washington also seems to suspect that the explosion was possibly related to a nuclear experiment."
On Sept. 2, Rep. Park Jin of the main opposition Grand National Party said during his U.S. visit that North Korea may conduct a nuclear weapons test in October, one month ahead of the U.S.

presidential election.

The possibility of a North Korean nuclear test was reportedly
first mentioned by a high-ranking U.S. administration official to
a senior American journalist in late August and the U.S. conveyed its concerns to North Korean officials in Washington.

At that time, Park said he heard the rumor of the possible nuclear test from officials of the Wall Street Journal and confirmed the "October surprise" with U.S. officials.

(END)

For those that don't know, North Korea has developed an ICBM engine known as the Daepodong-2 (alternately Taep'o-Dong-2), capable of hitting the eastern seaboard of the United States. However, it has lousy navigation and probably would not be able to reach that far.