“The initial analysis that has been conducted…is not consistent with North Korea’s claim of a successful hydrogen bomb test”, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
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Underlying everything is Beijing’s desire to keep North Korea as a buffer between it and the prospect of U.S. troops stationed on its border in a unified Korea.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un signed the document authorising a hydrogen bomb test on December 15, …
Among the songs on Friday’s playlist was “Bang, Bang, Bang” a recent hit by A-list K-pop boy band, Big Bang.
This risks doing harm to US-China relations, however, and China’s own options with North Korea are comparatively limited, as the nation is trying to keep them from collapsing outright, for fear it will lead to either a region war, or a huge refugee influx into China. To comply with the Security Council’s sanctions regime, North Korea would have to abandon not only its strategic deterrent but also the foundation of its medium-term economic development strategy, the pillar of its institutional governance structure, and its associated ideological and propaganda commitments.
The South Korean military’s psychological department produces content for the FM radio station Voice of Freedom, which from noon (0300 GMT) on Friday was channelled to the speakers randomly for up to six hours a day.
There was no immediate reaction by the North, but its response could be especially harsh because of the high emotions surrounding the likely birthday of Kim, who is believed to be in his early 30s.
Gains from the lifting of sanctions and the relative trinkets offered in grand bargain proposals would make for an unfair exchange for denuclearisation in the eyes of the North Korean leadership.
“North Korea may be the stated reason, but Chinese strategists will it see as a move against China to limit its nuclear deterrence”.
The broadcasts irritate the authorities in Pyongyang and North Korea has previously threatened to use force to stop them.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary has urged South Korea to “exercise restraint” in the wake of North Korea’s nuclear bomb test. After days of negotiations, the countries reached a deal in which South Korea vowed to halt the broadcasts unless an extraordinary situation occurred. Separate statements from the White House said President Barack Obama had spoken to South Korean President Park Geun-Hye and to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan. “It’s without foundation”, Mr. Kerry told reporters in Washington, asserting that he and other USA officials have engaged in “constant consultations” with their global counterparts toward containing North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Hydrogen bombs release about 1,000 times the energy of a standard atomic bomb, according to Tatsujiro Suzuki, a professor at Nagasaki University’s Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition.
At a U.N. Security Council emergency session, diplomats pledged to swiftly pursue new sanctions against North Korea, saying its test was a “clear violation” of previous U.N. resolutions.
Regardless, the North’s hydrogen bomb claims have been met with skepticism worldwide.
North Korea’s fourth nuclear test is an abrupt reminder that for Kim Jong Un, the costs of developing an atomic arsenal don’t yet outweigh its benefits.
The majority of North Korea’s business is done with China, which bought 90 per cent of its exports in 2013, according to data from South Korea’s International Trade Association.
Only five countries are officially known to possess thermonuclear weapons- the US, Russia, Britain, France and China.
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To build its nuclear program, the North must explode new and more advanced devices so scientists can improve their designs and technology. The tactic dates back to the 1950-53 Korean War.
