North Korea Detonates Nuke
[source]SEOUL, South Korea - South Korean government officials said North Korea performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test Monday, the South's Yonhap news agency reported.
South Korean officials could not immediately confirm the report.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun convened an urgent meeting of security advisers over the issue, Yonhap reported.
The North said last week it would conduct a nuclear test as part of its deterrent against a possible U.S. invasion.
This is getting real now.
UPDATE: North Korea Says Nuclear Tests Successful
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said Monday it has performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test. The country's official Korean Central News Agency said the test was performed successfully and there was no radioactive leakage from the site.
"The nuclear test is a historic event that brought happiness to the our military and people," KCNA said.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the test was conducted at 10:36 a.m. (9:36 p.m. EDT Sunday) in Hwaderi near Kilju city, citing defense officials.
The Japanese government set up a task force in response to reports of the test, Kyodo News agency said Monday. Ministers and officials were urgently called to discuss the situation, the agency reported.
Officials at the Prime Minister's Office were not immediately available to confirm the report.
South Korean Intellegence Report:
South Korea said the country's state intelligence agency detected a 3.58 magnitude seismic tremor in the eastern remote area of North Hamgyeong province at 10:36 a.m. (0136 GMT), reported South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
Earlier in the week the United States issued this statement to Pyongyang:
North Korea "can have a future or it can have these weapons. It cannot have both," Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said Wednesday in remarks at Johns Hopkins University's U.S.-Korea Institute. It was the toughest response yet from the Bush administration, coming two days after Pyongyang announced plans to conduct its first nuclear test.
The U.N. Security Council said that any nuclear test done by North Korea would be a serious threat to world peace and security. The U.N.'s statement included that the Security Council would 'act consistent with its responsibility under the Charter of the United Nations.'
Australia Prime Minister John Howard
Australia's Prime Minister strongly condemned the test and stated that seismic activity confirmed the test had taken place. He stated that North Korea would not garner better bargaining power through these actions. “The test has destabilised the region, it's eroded North Korea's own security,” he said. “A strong international response is called for and Australia will give full support to that response.”
Mr Howard described it as outrageous that North Korea relied on the international community to feed its starving population while devoting scarce resources to nuclear programs.
South Korea has warned it wouldn't tolerate a nuclear armed North Korea.
Japan has said a any nuclear test by North Korea would be unforgivable.
China has urged North Korea to show restraint.
Japan and South Korea have been trying to put pressure on China to dissuade Pyongyang from following through with it's announcement that North Korea would test nukes this weekend.
North Korea can now be considered a nuclear power. It is a volitile and secretive state that has technically been at war with South Korea and the United States for about 50 years.
This is a perfect example of why we should not half-fight a war or leave a war unfinished. Whenever we've done that, it's come back to bite us.
This action by the North Koreans reveals an entirely new dimension to the War on Terror. The complexion of the war and the world has changed today.
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Kim Jong Il
crossposted at Blue Star Chronicles
Labels: Asia, Kim Jong Il, North Korea, Nuclear Terrorism, Nuclear Threat, South Korea
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