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This isn’t good. North Korea has reportedly conducted a nuclear test. Unusual seismic activity in the region was detected that indicated a nuclear bomb, and South Korea has told a United Nations Security Council diplomat that North Korea has just performed a nuclear test.
A 4.9 magnitude earthquake was felt in North Korea earlier with the epicentre supposedly near known North Korean nuclear test sites. Which means, the earthquake — which is unnatural to the region — was probably caused by North Korea detonating a nuke. This would be the third time North Korea has performed a nuclear test — the other times being in 2006 and 2009. The 2006 test brought a 3.9 magnitude earthquake, while the 2009 nuclear test bumped the region with a 4.5 magnitude earthquake.
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty Organisation put out this statement:
“Today our monitoring stations picked up evidence of an unusual seismic event in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The event shows clear explosion-like characteristics and its location is roughly congruent with the 2006 and 2009 DPRK nuclear tests. For now, further data and analysis are necessary to establish what kind of event this is. If confirmed as a nuclear test, this act would constitute a clear threat to international peace and security, and challenges efforts made to strengthen global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, in particular by ending nuclear testing.”
Yonhap News reports that North Korea has confirmed that it conducted its third nuclear test. The test was done underground using a “miniaturised nuclear device with greater explosive force”.
Reuters is reporting that the North Korean earthquake indicates a nuclear blast of six to seven kilotons, according to the South Korea defense ministry. It’s unclear which method North Korea used to make its nuclear bomb. In the previous tests, North Korea was using reprocessed plutonium to fuel the nuke but in 2010, North Korea publicly showcased its process of making highly enriched uranium.
According to coordinates from the US Geological Survey, the earthquake was felt conveniently near a road that Google Maps has named Nuclear Test Road:
An emergency UN Security Council session will be held today but it’s not like they’ve been caught off guard. North Korea has been threatening to detonate a nuclear bomb ever since the UN Security Council penalised Pyongyang for shooting rockets into space. In fact, on January 24th North Korea’s National Defense Commission stated that they would perform “a nuclear test of higher level”. Even as recently as today, US officials were bracing for a nuclear test saying it “could come at any moment”. Guess it did. [Reuters, ABC News, WSJ]
well, fuck.
and the Pope retired as well… scary thought, maybe the Pope read the 3rd secret of Fatima (or some other hidden text) and knows that North Korea is about to bring about the end of days and he didn’t want to be Pope when that happened?
Just a thought
Didn’t want to deal with all of the people begging him to bless them.
Or being held accountable by ‘Him’ for the Catholic Church’s ‘issues’ over the years…. love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation!
I’m sure it’d be a similar conversation to the ones my step mother has with herself.
Maybe she’s God and just practising…
She does act as if she’s better than everyone else so who knows.
There you go then, technically you’re married to Jesus’s sister
Technically my Father is married to ‘God’, only 16.
My bad, thought I read mother-in-law
This is particularly bad news if North Korea is ‘testing’ a nuclear missile as I understand that Asian folks tend to be very good at tests (if you believe the stereotype).
Have a like for making me laugh
(On the flip side, I won’t be buying shares in South Korean companies)
I hear you .. I’ve stopped buying Samsung just in case they “disappear” and I have a warranty issue.
good point
Oh no. We wouldn’t want a country who refuses to sign and take part in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to have nuclear weapons now would we. *ISRAEL*
Finally someone em UK with the balls to see and speak a little bit of truth. Also the nickname is just perfect sir!
There’s not many of us unfortunately.
North Korea has no intention of using any nukes. At least not unless it intends to have itself turned to a nuclear desert by the US.
Nobody is ever going to get rid of their nukes because of something called ‘game theory’. Regardless of whether the west paints countries as ‘good’ or ‘evil’ some sovereign states will want the nuke as a deterent since it is the only way to not ‘lose’ the game.
I’m not saying that I agree with any country having nuclear weapons, it’s just inevitable.
I’d only start worrying when they start testing a trebuchet to launch the warhead, as their missile tests haven’t exactly been reliable.
That’s rather worrying because their missile tends to get off track a lot
That’s it North Korea! You have been identified with WMD and you’re next!!! Wait, hold on, they don’t have any cruide oil or ophium trade? Hmmm, may be not
Invading doesn’t seem a good idea as there is no oil etc to be pillaged in order to cover the military costs. So I guess we will be probably watching the western world more inclined to deal with North Korean leaders and their economy will start growing again.
Absolutely true. The western world could not care less about North Korea.
Infact it is pretty hilarious watching western medias reaction to a country openly and actively trying to develop a nuclear weapon (North Korea) in comparison to a country that constantly says it is not building a nuclear bomb (Iran) and is part of the relavent legal bodies (UN etc) and is trying to take part in talks in a civilized manner even when many acts of war are being commited against it.
Right to the point. I honestly hope my government is secretly preparing nuclear tests as well, for it’s a lot harder to be safe without the big guns.
Our army is a very complicated matter since it was basically a “CIA branch” until the end of the 80′s. The current government is strongly independent from other powers but the army is still a widow of the old days of USA training/funding.
Well observed mate, I had never realised it. Iran is a economic/scientific/politic powerhouse and is being treated like a punk simple because it’s political projection threatens Israeli/USA/UK influence in the region.
North Korea, in the other hand, is much less significant and enjoys much more patience from the global bullies.
Are you on G+ or Facebook?
Im glad it was underground!
Stands by for Team Americas response!
6 or 7 kilotons isn’t at all big for a nuke – Hiroshima was twice as powerful (although admittedly it’s still a big explosion).
I secretly believe it was just Kim Jong Un having a hissy fit when he discovered yellow cake uranium isn’t actually cake