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

pan6467 · 09-12-2004, 09:14 AM

Powell Says N. Korea Blast Not Nuclear

2 hours, 15 minutes ago Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!

By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer

SEOUL, South Korea - A huge explosion in the northern part of North Korea (news - web sites) sent a plume of smoke more than two miles wide into the air on an important anniversary of the secretive communist regime, a South Korean news agency reported Sunday. Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said the explosion Thursday was not a nuclear test but that it was not known yet what caused it.

"There was no indication that was a nuclear event of any kind. Exactly what it was, we're not sure," Powell said on ABC's "This Week."

China's government, which has the closest relations with North Korea, had no immediate comment about the reported explosion.

The Yonhap news agency said the blast Thursday was more powerful than the April 22 explosion that killed 160 people and injured an estimated 1,300 at a railway station in North Korea. That explosion was believed caused by a train laden with oil and chemicals hitting power lines.

In a story published before Yonhap's report, The New York Times said Sunday that senior U.S. intelligence officials had seen signs of activities that some analysts thought might indicate North Korea was preparing its first test explosion of a nuclear weapon.

Other experts were more cautious in their assessments, but the developments were considered worrisome enough for the White House to be alerted, the Times said.

Asked about the report, Powell told "Fox News Sunday" that U.S. authorities have been monitoring activities at a "potential nuclear test site."

"We can't tell whether it's normal maintenance activity or something more," he said. "So it's inconclusive at this moment, but we continue to monitor these things very carefully."

With North Korea being closely watched because of its suspected work to develop nuclear weapons, international experts would likely have been able to detect a nuclear test explosion if one had occurred several days ago.

The explosion happened at 11 a.m. Thursday in Yanggang province near the border with China, Yonhap said.

"We understand that a mushroom-shaped cloud about 3.5 to 4 kilometers (2.1 to 2.5 miles) in diameter was monitored during the explosion," the news agency quoted an unidentified diplomatic source in Seoul, the South Korean capital, as saying.

Yonhap quoted an unidentified South Korean official as saying seismic activity related to two blasts in North Korea occurred at 11 p.m. Wednesday and 1 a.m. Thursday.

The damage and crater left by the explosion in Kim Hyong Jik county was big enough to be noticed by a satellite, Yonhap quoted an unidentified source in Beijing as saying.

The agency said the diplomatic source raised the possibility of a nuclear text blast or an accidental explosion. It quoted a source in Washington as saying the incident could be related to a natural disaster such as a forest fire.

Yonhap later quoted Kim Jong-min, spokesman for the South Korean presidential office, as saying: "Currently, we are trying to find out in detail the exact character, cause and size of the accident, but we don't think North Korea conducted a nuclear test."

Thursday was the anniversary of North Korea's founding on 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 North Korea might use a major anniversary to conduct a nuclear-related test, but one analyst said an open-air test, as opposed to one below ground, would be difficult in such a small country.

"It's difficult to say, but it won't be easy for North Korea to conduct a nuclear test without resulting in massive losses of its own people," said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert in Seoul. "I think there is a (greater) possibility that it is a simple accident, rather than a deliberate nuclear test."

Yonhap's diplomatic source in Seoul said the explosion took place "not far" from a military base that holds ballistic missiles. North Korea, which has a large missile arsenal and more than 1 million soldiers, is dotted with military installations.

Kim Jong Il on Sunday met Li Changchun, a senior official of China's Communist Party who was on a goodwill visit to Pyongyang, said KCNA, the North's official news agency. Li delivered a letter from Chinese President Hu Jintao, KCNA said.

KCNA did not mention the reported explosion. China had said that the agenda for Li's talks would include North Korea's nuclear development.

On Saturday, North Korea said recent revelations that South Korea (news - web sites) conducted secret nuclear experiments involving uranium and plutonium made the communist state more determined to pursue its own nuclear programs.

The South Korean experiments, conducted in 1982 and 2000, were likely to further complicate the already stalled six-nation talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear development. South Korea has said the experiments were purely for research and did not reflect a desire to develop weapons.

Who knows? But it appears those who sustained a "wait and see" attitude may have been correct.

Still scary to think how easily we can believe the worst.

09-12-2004, 09:14 AM	#36 (permalink)
pan6467 Lennonite Priest Location: Mansfield, Ohio USA	Powell Says N. Korea Blast Not Nuclear 2 hours, 15 minutes ago Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo! By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea - A huge explosion in the northern part of North Korea (news - web sites) sent a plume of smoke more than two miles wide into the air on an important anniversary of the secretive communist regime, a South Korean news agency reported Sunday. Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) said the explosion Thursday was not a nuclear test but that it was not known yet what caused it. "There was no indication that was a nuclear event of any kind. Exactly what it was, we're not sure," Powell said on ABC's "This Week." China's government, which has the closest relations with North Korea, had no immediate comment about the reported explosion. The Yonhap news agency said the blast Thursday was more powerful than the April 22 explosion that killed 160 people and injured an estimated 1,300 at a railway station in North Korea. That explosion was believed caused by a train laden with oil and chemicals hitting power lines. In a story published before Yonhap's report, The New York Times said Sunday that senior U.S. intelligence officials had seen signs of activities that some analysts thought might indicate North Korea was preparing its first test explosion of a nuclear weapon. Other experts were more cautious in their assessments, but the developments were considered worrisome enough for the White House to be alerted, the Times said. Asked about the report, Powell told "Fox News Sunday" that U.S. authorities have been monitoring activities at a "potential nuclear test site." "We can't tell whether it's normal maintenance activity or something more," he said. "So it's inconclusive at this moment, but we continue to monitor these things very carefully." With North Korea being closely watched because of its suspected work to develop nuclear weapons, international experts would likely have been able to detect a nuclear test explosion if one had occurred several days ago. The explosion happened at 11 a.m. Thursday in Yanggang province near the border with China, Yonhap said. "We understand that a mushroom-shaped cloud about 3.5 to 4 kilometers (2.1 to 2.5 miles) in diameter was monitored during the explosion," the news agency quoted an unidentified diplomatic source in Seoul, the South Korean capital, as saying. Yonhap quoted an unidentified South Korean official as saying seismic activity related to two blasts in North Korea occurred at 11 p.m. Wednesday and 1 a.m. Thursday. The damage and crater left by the explosion in Kim Hyong Jik county was big enough to be noticed by a satellite, Yonhap quoted an unidentified source in Beijing as saying. The agency said the diplomatic source raised the possibility of a nuclear text blast or an accidental explosion. It quoted a source in Washington as saying the incident could be related to a natural disaster such as a forest fire. Yonhap later quoted Kim Jong-min, spokesman for the South Korean presidential office, as saying: "Currently, we are trying to find out in detail the exact character, cause and size of the accident, but we don't think North Korea conducted a nuclear test." Thursday was the anniversary of North Korea's founding on 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 North Korea might use a major anniversary to conduct a nuclear-related test, but one analyst said an open-air test, as opposed to one below ground, would be difficult in such a small country. "It's difficult to say, but it won't be easy for North Korea to conduct a nuclear test without resulting in massive losses of its own people," said Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert in Seoul. "I think there is a (greater) possibility that it is a simple accident, rather than a deliberate nuclear test." Yonhap's diplomatic source in Seoul said the explosion took place "not far" from a military base that holds ballistic missiles. North Korea, which has a large missile arsenal and more than 1 million soldiers, is dotted with military installations. Kim Jong Il on Sunday met Li Changchun, a senior official of China's Communist Party who was on a goodwill visit to Pyongyang, said KCNA, the North's official news agency. Li delivered a letter from Chinese President Hu Jintao, KCNA said. KCNA did not mention the reported explosion. China had said that the agenda for Li's talks would include North Korea's nuclear development. On Saturday, North Korea said recent revelations that South Korea (news - web sites) conducted secret nuclear experiments involving uranium and plutonium made the communist state more determined to pursue its own nuclear programs. The South Korean experiments, conducted in 1982 and 2000, were likely to further complicate the already stalled six-nation talks aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear development. South Korea has said the experiments were purely for research and did not reflect a desire to develop weapons. Who knows? But it appears those who sustained a "wait and see" attitude may have been correct. Still scary to think how easily we can believe the worst. __________________ I just love people who use the excuse "I use/do this because I LOVE the feeling/joy/happiness it brings me" and expect you to be ok with that as you watch them destroy their life blindly following. My response is, "I like to put forks in an eletrical socket, just LOVE that feeling, can't ever get enough of it, so will you let me put this copper fork in that electric socket?"