South Korea’s military said the explosive yield of this blast could be nearly twice that of the previous nuclear test. Analysts have expressed fears this could mean North Korea is a step closer to having a useable nuclear weapon.
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Reaction was swift and harsh around the world after Friday’s test with the United States, Russia, South Korea, and even China, with whom North Korea shares a border and a longtime but frayed diplomatic relationship, denouncing it.
The South Korean measurement would indicate a yield slightly smaller than the Little Boy at 10 kilotonnes, although calculating yield is hard and subject to the unknown variables in terrain and geology of the test site.
Another user dubbed “ljyo****” claimed that peace is only made possible through military power, lending support to the plan.
“We can’t completely not cooperate with the United States, but we can’t completely be at their beck and call”, Jin said, pointing to the South China Sea as an issue that China is unhappy with the United States about.
September 9th: Fifth nuclear test detected in the north east of the country.
Pyongyang hailed the “successful” test of a home-grown nuclear warhead – a miniaturised device – and claimed it represented a major step forward in its ability to launch missile-mounted nuclear strikes.
Previous recent comments from China following North Korean missile tests, including one on Monday when China was hosting the G20 summit, have pointedly not mentioned North Korea by name.
Based on the size of the seismic event, the KMA estimated the yield of the test to be about 10-12 kilotons, which amounts to 67-80 percent of that of the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima in 1945.
“We strongly urge the DPRK side to honor the commitment to denuclearization, abide by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and halt any moves that could aggravate the situations”.
The No Dong missiles were fired from areas around the western city of Hwangju as North Korea’s neighbor and most important ally, China, was hosting world leaders for its Group of 20 summit in the city of Hangzhou.
“…and also said that we (North Korea) could ‘abandon its ballistic missile program and nuclear programs, ‘ which might lead ‘the U.S.to change its minds'”.
That is despite the North’s steady arms buildup, and South Korea’s requirement that every male serve in the military for a term that is now 21 months. The testing of a nuclear warhead, in contrast, involves actually exploding the warhead and is therefore thought to result in a more powerful explosion.
Seismic: A north Korean official points at the epicentre of the natural disaster.
China’s Foreign Ministry followed suit.
North Korea had previously conducted four nuclear tests, all at Punggye-ri, and they had caused similar patterns in seismic activity.
Mr Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation, said the agency was processing unusual seismic activity in the Korean Peninsula from its 25 stations monitoring the region.
“(The test) is proof of the frantic recklessness of the nuclear-obsessed Kim Jong-un administration”, the president said in an emergency meeting in Laos.
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A USA official told CNN that it looked like a nuclear test but confirmation would be dependent on seismic readings, location of the seismic event and whether it can be matched to an underground test site.
