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Subscribe to RSSSouth Korean intelligence officials say North Korea may be preparing for a third underground nuclear test. The possible test comes at the same time as North Korea is poised to launch a satellite. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
Updated at 8:35 a.m. ET: Recent satellite images show North Korea is digging a new underground tunnel in what appears to be preparation for a third nuclear test, according to South Korean intelligence officials.
The excavation at North Korea's northeast Punggye-ri site, where nuclear tests were conducted in 2006 and 2009, is in its final stages, according to a report by intelligence officials that was shared Monday with The Associated Press.
Its release comes as North Korea prepares to launch a long-range rocket with an observation satellite that Washington and others say is a cover for testing missile technology that could be used to fire on the United States.
North Korea shows off its launch pad, satellite
Observers fear a repeat of 2009, when international criticism of the North's last long-range rocket launch prompted Pyongyang to walk away from nuclear disarmament negotiations and, weeks later, conduct its second nuclear test. A year later, 50 South Korean were killed in attacks blamed on the North.
The U.S. isn't nervous about the satellite North Korea will launch, but the rocket that will launch it. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
"North Korea is covertly preparing for a third nuclear test, which would be another grave provocation," said the report, which cited U.S. commercial satellite photos taken April 1. "North Korea is digging up a new underground tunnel at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, in addition to its existing two underground tunnels, and it has been confirmed that the excavation works are in the final stages."
Inside North Korea: Closely watched rocket launch poses risks
Dirt believed to have been brought from other areas is piled at the tunnel entrance, the report said, something experts say is needed to fill up underground tunnels before a nuclear test. The dirt indicates a "high possibility" North Korea will stage a nuclear test, the report said, as plugging tunnels was the final step taken during its two previous nuclear tests.
A U.S. official told NBC News it was possible that North Korea could be about to test a thermonuclear weapon, dozens of times more powerful than the weapons they have tested in the past. The North has carried out significant research into both "boosted fission" and thermonuclear weapons development in recent years. However, without testing, the North could not be certain that such a weapon is reliable.
North Korea announced plans last month to launch the satellite using a three-stage rocket during mid-April celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung.
Bobby Yip / Reuters
A soldier stands guard in front of the Unha-3 (Milky Way 3) rocket sitting on a launch pad during a guided media tour by North Korean authorities northwest of Pyongyang on Sunday.
The U.S., Japan, Britain and other nations have urged North Korea to cancel the launch, warning that firing the long-range rocket would violate U.N. resolutions and North Korea's promise to refrain from engaging in nuclear and missile activity.
"Don't do it" is the United States' response to reports that North Korea is about to launch a nuclear weapons test, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said at a briefing Monday.
"North Korea's launch of a missile would be highly provocative, it would pose a threat to regional security, and it will be inconsistent with its recent undertakings to refrain from any kind of long-range missile launches," Nuland said, adding that a launch would also violate two United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Pyongyang says the rocket will only carry a weather satellite, but South Korea and the United States say it is a test of a ballistic missile. And although the risk of it veering off course is low, guidance remains its weakest point.
In a rare move, reporters -- including NBC News' Richard Engel -- were taken to the new Sohae launch station, close to the border with China, where work was in progress to ready the 100-foot high Unha-3 rocket and its satellite.
David Guttenfelder / AP
In this March 9, 2011 photo, a girl plays the piano inside the Changgwang Elementary School in Pyongyang, North Korea. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)
The three-stage rocket was on the launch platform, indicating the launch is likely between April 12-16.
"Supreme Commander Kim Jong Un made a very bold decision, that is why you are allowed to be this close to the launch site," site director Jang Myong Jin told visiting foreign journalists on Sunday.
However, NBC's Engel tweeted that North Korea seemed to be giving the press access "to deflect criticism against the rocket launch, to show it has nothing to hide."
PhotoBlog: Images from the launch site
The second stage booster is planned to separate in the seas to the west of the Philippines, about 1,860 miles from the launch site, and experts say that represents the first possible landfall for the rocket if things go wrong.
If North Korea does achieve a successful separation of the third stage -- something it says it achieved in 2009, but most experts say failed to put a previous satellite into orbit -- that would show it had improved its technology and the capacity to produce a missile that could carry an intercontinental nuclear warhead.
North Korea will launch what is being described as a small observation satellite within days. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
Pyongyang has also shifted its launch site, and the new, more sophisticated site on the west of the Korean peninsula reduces the risk of debris falling on Japan, which was overflown in a previous test-launch of a missile.
The new rocket is believed to have a design range of more than 4,160 miles, and can carry a payload of up to 2,204 pounds.
At its closest point, Alaska in the United States is about 3,100 miles from North Korea.
Author Victor Cha talks about the nuclear future of North Korea and the growing concern that the country is about to launch a long-range missile test.
While North Korea's 23 million people live in poverty and many are at risk of malnutrition, the prestige of developing rocket technology and nuclear weapons capacity is the most important issue for Pyongyang, which sees it as a deterrent against invasion.
The North is believed to have stockpiled enough fissile material to manufacture up to 10 nuclear bombs.
Government officials in South Korea have calculated the North is spending $19 million on this launch.
NBC News' Richard Engel and Bob Windrem, The Associated Press, Reuters and msnbc.com staff contributed to this report.
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Bush Jr. and Cheney attacks Iraq under lies of Nuclear warheads, they killed the leader that hated Iran. Bush and Cheney caused another war in Afghastan looking for Bin Laden and Alqueda leaders. Accomplishing nothing but costing us billions and billions of dollars and lost of our American soldiers lives.
President Obama took afew good men and killed Bin Laden and drone to dealth many Alqueda leaders. Without costing us billions and billions of dollars or lost of American lives.
I vote by comparing Bush Jr. and Cheney to President Obama. It's a no-brainer.
President Obama---2012
deb,
Just remember, Obama campaigned that Afghastan was his war, and that's where he was going to put the effort and win.
Well, he's throwing in the towel and telling the enemy when we're pulling out so they can prepare to move in.
That's our leadership.
Actually, while you are mostly spot on, you are being too kind. Not Billions of dollars, but rather a few Trillion Dollars. 2 Saudis, a Yemeni, an Egyptian did the 911 event. So we attacked Afghanistan and Iraq in retaliation. With that philosophy, it is rather amazing we actually attacked Japan after pearl Harbor rather than, say, England. Notwithstanding I found it pathetically funny seeing videos of our B2 Bombers, each costing some $2.3 Billion attacking Afghanistan that probable had less than that in assets of its entire country.
And good going US. You got the Taliban out. And as a bonus, the opium production has increased by over 350% bringing the majority of that product right to America. Consequences, consequences.
I'm 61 and what I've learned over the years is how stupid the American people are. Young girls get raped and killed because they know nothing about the people they go out with. People who own small businesses really think it matters to their business who is president or in congress. They usually find out that no matter who wins their business is always the same unless they get more or less shoppers and competition. Young people follow anyone who say mova f r. They also never realize when they're young that computers can do more than play illegally downloaded songs look at all the young girls that think they're doing something by getting naked and not realizing some people are using the internet just to make money taking off their clothes. Kids think it's great not to work and live off their parents. They believe life is one big party. Kids don't realize the drugs today are more addicting than the drugs of the 60's. Older people like me don't really care what happens because our days are coming to an end. Young people don't realize those days are coming to them also and it happens really fast. And it seems that no one cares whether the world ends or not because most of them live in a make believe world.
Yup, Ed. I'm 64 and I'm with you on that one. Here's a quote from Einstein: "I know not with what weapons WWIII will be fought, but WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones." So much for technology.
jerry afghanistan was another bush war. Where do you think the terriorists went after Obama's win in Iraq. Obama's just cleaning up Bush's mess.
Ed,
If that's the case, they'll be here next!!!
Ed,
go back and listen to the 2008 Obama rhetoric. He stated that Bush should have put all his force into Afganistan not Iraq and when President, he would put the necessary force in place to win that war.
Odds are that the rocket will blow up or fail. Take note that the payload is a cheap satellite (by standards) to take pictures and is quoted to be just 30% of the rocket's potential payload. If they needed it they have Russia and China with space programs to launch it for less money. That leaves logic that it's just a test of the rocket itself and the satellite a simple diversion.
Every country sucks in policy to NK, so I don't quite get picking on Obama. Germany has open relations with them, the Swiss schooled the current leader, and China with Russia keeps the damn thing running. They also get cheaper labor from the "illegal" NK's seeking work inside China. Russia has camps of North Koreans working in near slave labor conditions for cheap lumber. Think about it, there's a level below exploited workers you all groan about, yet you press about a rocket that can't be stopped? They are threatened, starved, and treated as commodity by their government. If the UN had balls not sucked away by two countries who profit most off NK's existence you could change things.
As is, only when NK launches an attack at another country other than South Korea will the fur fly and war break out. I can say this because South Korea also counts economic costs over the little sum of a boat or 50 people.
As for the NK regime it's a puppet state and Jung-un isn't in power. Please get this straight and understand he doesn't speak, he doesn't meet without his "advisers", and while reports are he was a sweet kid in school, the record indicates he wasn't the sharpest tool too. ALL outside governments say they question who is leading and their media is trying hard to make the people inside NK to believe. The guy is likely just trying to survive and not as smart as his older brother who found a trip to Disneyland as a way out. His political end is likely the next big change, but until you cut the people out who really control him there's no change in NK. My guess is that Jung-un would rather be in JAPAN with the remaining parts of his mother's family. Yes, they are ethnic Koreans who have lived in Japan for 60 some odd years. NK doesn't like that fact much either.
So, my advice: Stop supporting a bad government Other Countries of the World (it's not Obama's fault you do it). Get good intel, remove the strings, toss the NK government while finding away to keep China and Russia out of it to the highest degree possible. What to have some fun? Make Jung-un's family in Japan famous to the point the North Korean's know. Show that they are living well with the Japanese people that took liberties with Korea long ago. Rockets, nukes, 6 party talks are just BS that have never and will never change the lives for the average North Korean to the better.
Might surprise you, but I have seen products made in North Korea sold in US stores. Mainly clothing, shoes and similar. Much as we hate North Korea for their policies, we continue to aid and abet that enemy by trading with them. And US oil companies have shipped an awful big amount of oil there. Most from our own US oil fields, better utilized right here.
But it all adds up to helping our enemies so we can increase our military spending and profit those really running the US government. Do you think the president, senators and representatives you elect actually are running the show? Not a chance. They are simply puppets and figure heads.
The Republican party must love you Jerry. You forget everything Bush did just like they do. Why do you think the republicans don't talk about bush. Because Bush was a disgrace to his party and they just want to forget him. See how many times the Republicans bring him up during the election.
Ed,
Obama is a work in progress. Unfortunately, we don't have time to train him and get him educated to the rank of leadership.
At your age you have seen many things happen in the world and in this country. The U.S. has definately changed from when I was a boy. I have seen leadership over the years, (more years than you have), and Obama is no leader!!!
Older and wiser Ed!!
I guess you're real old.
His kind of selective interpretation of world events certainly is.
Let's see, The first I really remembered was JFK. I liked him. Of course I was just young then. But in school we sang a lot of patriotic songs. We had drills where we hid under the desks in case of a nuclear war, people who had money built bomb shelters. School buildings were bomb shelters for families like mine. The next president I really liked was Richard Nixon because he made the relationship between China and the U.S. very good. I didn't care about a lot of presidents like Johnson and Jimmy Carter, but I liked Bill Clinton because he brought spending under control for the first time and I really didn't care whether he had 1 or 10 girl friends, they all had them but just didn't get caught. As you can see I'm not really for republicans or democrats. I'm for the people who I think would do the best for our country and when Bush said he didn't know what to do about the tanking economy I became an Obama fan because he at least was willing to give it a try. I just wish both parties would have tried, but the racist republicans were sore losers after the election. and I'm white, live in a white community, married a white lady and have a white son. However my best man at my wedding was a black baptist minister but I never liked Martin luther King jr. Like I said I am for people who are the best for our country.
Yawn...It's all about the he said she said BS....another day on the vine....lol. The headlines change, the comments don't. Meanwhile back in the real world, the price of everything increases twice as fast as wages, everyone wants to regulate something, freedoms are taken, people are struggling and everybody is mad about something.
Have a nice day:) Now back to the comments.
I never thought of a nuclear bomb test, there was to much of a stop on them launching a satellite. I never have understood how they do this underground. They don't have that much land and if its the same area, doesn't that cause health problems for people digging the new tunnels. Also when people test one on the ocean, doesn't that cause risk to people some how. There is sea life and the water too, wouldn't that hurt people. I never hear of people dieing or getting sick from underground and ocean nuke tests. Maybe its not the worst if they test one. I think NK will go after SK and then watch Japan, they might be the first ones to attack them. There is Russia and China but are they going to do any thing if NK conquers SK. I think they will be sticking to what they were like with Kim Jong-il, might have to wait for another leader to see a new NK.
The only way to get N Korea to submit is too eliminate Kimchi
When they do an underground nuclear test it's not a full neuclear bomb. It's one that has a nuclear bomb but it's much smaller and they can tell by the test how a full size bomb would react.
they better watch it or obozo wont apologize anymore!!!
wow more good news!!! the gas price doubles, infaltion doubles...record poverty, record unemployment...record dept...thank you lord obozo!!!
darn I spelled nuclear like Jimmy Carter. ha ha
EHHH...
Your right. The first test were performed under Bush's terms.
But do you think their nuke program sprung up overnight?
That means they probably started development and construction earlier than that. Who was in office then?
North Korea is my least favorite of all nations. However, every country on earth needs a few nuclear bombs as well as the means to deliver them to prevent aggression by the lone super power on earth. Once upon a time the world was much more stable as two super powers faced off and lesser countries could find help from the other if picked on by the one. No, I really don't want to see the nukes fired off, but the threat of taking out a couple cities of such superpower sure would make them hesitate. 911 brought down two tall buildings in New York and a chunk of the Pentagon in Arlington Virginia. This caused a big and lasting turn down in the US economy. Done with a few 757 Boeing passenger planes. Consider a couple Hiroshima sized nukes delivered to both places. It just might reduce the US to a Third World Country. Of course we would win by exterminating everyone in the opposing country and a radiation kill zone. Were the US not running rampant like the bully on the block since the collapse of the Soviet Union, North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Iran , Libya, Panama and numerous other countries would not be seeking such destructive devices. And the US violates it's own Constitution as well as the Laws of Nations by attacking countries without declaration of war. Even Japan declared war, just that they were about 20 minutes late in seeing Secretary Stimson and informing him as they had intended. If the US again abides by the laws, these countries may well seek better use of the money.
Added note: In 1980, the US had 1735 land based ICBM's, the Soviet Union 2350. The Soviet Union collapsed and Russia is now the sole bearer of the nuclear arsenal. Russia now has fewer than 800 land based ICBM's, the US still has 1735. Russia supposedly has no ICBM's at sea. The US, has about 3500 of them at sea aboard a multitude of ships. The US has 12 nuclear aircraft carriers. Russia moth balled all of theirs. And I believe in strength of our military, but the US is going the way of the former Soviet Union by bankrupting itself with military hardware spending and unwelcome intervention in other countries. Russia came out with a Federation (much like a Republic). I fear the consequences of government collapse in the US will not turn out as well. No, not Communism or even Socialism. But national Socialism (Nazism). I believe the worst form of government ever as there is not a single redeeming feature. Restore the Republic. Rule by the People again, not the Military Industrial Complex, outgoing President Eisenhower warned us of.
Every man woman and child should have a gun, and every nation should have nukes, all the world would be much much safer then
What dangerous rocket you talkin about? That is just big firework. It go up and make many colors. Make happy faces with smiles. Everybody silly talk of putting warhead on firework. We not do that, honest!!
Kim Jong Un is simply another figure head. The military as well as manufacturing leaders are the ones running the government. And they will continue to do so until or if they can find something more profitable. Best thing actually would be to give approval to China to do anything they wish about North Korea. Meaning invasion, annexation and making North Korea another province of China. China has woken up to the fact that they can actually conquer the world economically with much better results than militarily. Freedom comes with good economy. Still a ways to go, but it is much better than it once was.
Military hardware becomes obsolete and rusts. A country can usually sit back and laugh watching it happen to others. Of all the nuclear bombs the US has, estimates are only 30% can even make it to destination. The condition causing that is "Tin Whiskers., where the metal on the circuit boards grows and shorts out nearby circuit runs. And the fissionable material in the nukes themselves has degraded. Big ones would have disappointing yields. Little ones not fire. Ships, tanks and planes have limited life spans. 20 years is really pushing it for the M! Abrams tank. F15's, F16's, F18's are all at 30 years. A F22 replacing it a bit over $30 Million apiece. An aircraft carrier $2.5 Billion each, plus, the cost of the aircraft on it. The citizens of the US would really be living well except for all of their tax money being spent on defense. Our nuclear investment alone would have provided a 3 bedroom/2 bath home to every American over the age of 21.
Nuclear weapons don't kill people. People kill people.
Truebro...You get up every morning and face what Obama faces, go travel to other countries and meet heads of state and make adult decisions......deal with Congress saying no everyday, gas prices ( which is higher because of the world market...never mind, that is too deep for you to understand)
Just stay home, blame Obama for EVERYTHING...Crap, my cat died....damn that Obama....My car will not start in this rain...damn that Obama for this weather...
You guys are still safe, still do what you want to do everyday, go to church, go shopping, take your kids to school, go out to eat, play cards, walk around free, go to bed when you want...Oh Yeah, Obama has taken everything away from you...including your everyday freedom....We are all a little sick and tired of the Republican whining and crying....
You are free to vote, hear the word free..!!!! Go to North Korea and write some of the hateful, mean things you write on the vine...you'll be yanked out of your house and will never be seen again because the people over there are not free....there is that word again.....you can say anything you want in the USA about your government and other than looking like a little cry baby nothing will happen to you..
You go vote Republican and mark my words nothing will change in the US... except the rich people will get richer, we will have vaginal probes, no medicare..Strip Searches , thanks to the Reps members of the Supreme Court.....and Oh, Lord help all of us if the Ryan plan goes through....but it does not have a chance because Obama will be re-elected...the poor are pissed, the women are more pissed at the Reps...and you know what they say....."If Mama Ain't Happy, Then No One is Happy" (Women don't forget..!!)....and the Republicans have lost most of the women's vote in this country....Hey, try again in 2016.
Then again, it may be Hilliary's turn............!!!!