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Subscribe to RSSAfter Tuesday's nuclear test, questions arose as to whether or not North Korea has advanced to the point where they could reach the continental U.S. with a missile.
An unapologetic North Korea declared Tuesday that it had conducted a test of a nuclear bomb after the detonation was detected by the U.S. Geological Survey.
"On February 12th... we successfully conducted a third underground nuclear test in the northern underground nuclear test site," the Daily NK reported, in a translation of Pyongyang's announcement on the state-run news agency, KCNA.
By conducting the test, the isolated authoritarian regime made good on a Jan. 24 pledge by North Korea's top military organ, the National Defense Commission, in further defiance of admonitions from the international community to cease and desist in its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
The test was met with condemnation from around the globe. The White House called it a "highly provocative act" that warrants "further swift and credible action from the international community." Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said Beijing was "strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed" to the move by its neighbor and long-time Communist ally.
South Korea and Japan convened emergency meetings of their top national security officials, while the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Tuesday, after which it promised to "begin work immediately" to draft a new resolution against the North.
The explosion was registered as a 5.1-magnitude seismic event by the USGS at 9:57 p.m. ET Monday. The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence quickly judged that North Korea had "probably conducted an underground nuclear explosion" with a yield of "several kilotons."
In a statement, President Barack Obama said the test "undermines regional stability, violates North Korea's obligations under numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, contravenes its [international] commitments … and increases the risk of proliferation" in the wake of what he described as a "ballistic missile launch" by North Korea on Dec. 12.
"North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs constitute a threat to U.S. national security and to international peace and security," Obama said.
U.S. officials have previously told NBC News that North Korea has up to a "few dozen" nuclear weapons that could be fitted on ballistic missiles, far more than had previously been believed.
Obama on Tuesday said that "the danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community," adding that the U.S. would work with the international community to "pursue firm action."
'Vile hostile acts'
In a tit-for-tat that has characterized a diplomatic stalemate for decades, North Korea blamed the United States for forcing its hand.
"This nuclear test was conducted as part of measures to safeguard the country’s security and independence in order to deal with the vile hostile acts of the United States, which violated our Republic’s legitimate right to peaceful satellite launches,” according to the KCNA report.
The comment refers UN Security Council Resolution 2087, passed after to Pyongyang's Dec. 12 rocket launch, heaping sanctions on previous sanctions against North Korea, further deepening the regime's isolation.
North Korean soldiers stand guard on the river bank of the North Korean town of Sinuiju, opposite the Chinese border city of Dandong on Tuesday.
The resolution called on North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and any weapons and allow verification; to conduct no more launches using ballistic missile technology; and to conduct no more nuclear tests.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the latest test was a "clear and grave violation."
Later, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that North Korea threatened, citing an unidentified foreign ministry spokesman, to conduct more nuclear tests if the U.S. moves to penalize it for Tuesday's test.
At a disarmament forum in Geneva on Tuesday, a North Korean official said that his country would not change course in the current climate, Reuters reported.
"The U.S. and their followers are sadly mistaken if they miscalculate the DPRK would respect the entirely unreasonable resolutions against it. The DPRK will never bow to any resolutions," Jon Yong Ryong, first secretary of North Korea's mission in Geneva, told the Conference on Disarmament, referring to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
South Korea's government said in a statement that Tuesday's nuclear test, "poses a direct challenge to the whole international community as well as an unacceptable threat to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia."
It said the government would stand firm in that it "will not tolerate a nuclear North Korea" and added that it will "also accelerate expanding its military capability, including deploying at an early stage its extended-range missiles, currently being developed, which cover all of North Korea."
Major hostilities in the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with armistice, not a peace treaty. Today, North Korean forces and South Korean forces bolstered by about 28,000 U.S. troops remain faced off at the 38th parallel, where the Korean Peninsula was divided.
Between 2003 and 2007, North Korean took party in several rounds of the so-called "Six Party Talks" with South Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan, in an attempt to reverse Pyongyang's nuclear weapons development in return for fuel and progress towards normalization of relations. The talks went on hold and then fell apart for good in April 2009 and Pyongyang expelled UN inspectors from the country.
China 'humiliated'
A key unanswered question is what Beijing will do after North Korea's latest move. The long-time Communist ally and neighbor, which has strategic reasons to continue supporting the regime in Pyongyang, nonetheless expressed its strong opposition to the test.
"China has been humiliated," according to Andrei Lankov, a veteran analyst of North Korea based in Seoul's Kookmin Unversity. That could prompt a change in Beijing's approach, he said.
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A North Korean flag flies above the North Korean embassy in Beijing on Feb. 12.
"This time, China explicitly warned North Korea against conducting the test, but they were ignored," Landov added. "A Chinese government newspaper said two weeks ago that in the case of a nuclear test, China might significantly reduce its aid to North Korea."
China is a major source of aid to North Korea and key to keeping its decrepit economy afloat. China is also one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council with the power to veto sanctions.
The United States and other countries have urged China to put pressure on Pyongyang, but it remained to be seen how far Beijing would go to confront its old comrade.
"They are not happy about nuclear adventurism. At the same time though, a collapsing non-nuclear North Korea is far worse than a nuclear but stable North Korea," Lankov said.
North wants U.S. recognition
Professor Yan Xuetong, a top international security analyst at China's Tsinghua University, said "the key to the North Korean nuclear challenge is in the hands of the United States, not China."
"China is certainly opposed to North Korea's latest nuclear test and opposed to North Korea becoming a nuclear power, but the test was aimed at the Unite States with the aim of forcing the U.S. to normalize relations with North Korea, but if the U.S. doesn't want to play the game of trade-off, then there is not much that China can do," he said.
Yan, who closely follows government policy thinking on the issue, argued that "the role of economic sanctions is limited," suggesting China will not stop economic assistance to North Korea because of the latest test.
"What China should do is to act as bridge between North Korea and the United States so that they will agree to a trade-off, with the U.S. granting recognition to the North Korean government in exchange for it giving up its nuclear program," he said.
"If the U.S. views North Korea's nuclear threat with the same seriousness as it views Iran's nuclear threat, then there will be hope for solving the North Korea's nuclear problem," he said.
NBC News staff writers Ian Johnston, Eric Baculinao, John Newland and Arata Yamamoto contributed to this report.
Related:
Analysis: China fears alienating nuclear-armed Kim
N. Korea propaganda video shows US city in flames
Show of force: US, South Korea hold naval drills
This story was originally published on Tue Feb 12, 2013 12:11 PM EST
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We could use the E-Bomb we have and wipe their whole electrical grid.
"Republicans have been whining and pointing figures for the last 37 years or longer. Whenever I hear them say “Stop blaming Bush” I have to chuckle. From 1976 to 1992 they whined and cried, moan and groaned and complained and complained more and bitched, carried on and on and blamed President Carter of everything wrong in the entire universe. Then from 1992 to 2008 they whined and cried, moan and groaned and complained and complained more and bitched, carried on and on and blamed President Clinton for everything that was wrong in the entire universe."
Oh really Charlie? It's funny, because the only thing I hear is you tree hugging liberlas blaming everything on Bush...Even your messiah Obama has spent the past five years blaming the pervious administration for the problems we have today.
Let me ask you a few questions, did NAFTA help the US? Clinton signed that piece of crap into law and all it did was make it easier for other countries to trade with us, by lower taffifs, while they JACKED their taffifs up. We had so many big businesses leave the US after NAFTA was signed in.
Next question...How is the Welfare and the Social Sercurty system treating the hard working Americans that don't live off, use and abuse the system? Those were democratic/Liberal "great" ideas. So, as you can see, people can look at "good" and "bad" in many different ways. Many people felt NAFTA was a good thing and SS and Walefare are great programs, while others think they are bad ideas.
I'm not a big Bush supporter, but what I do support is people starting to own up, take responsibility, stop passimng the buck, and do whats right for our country. Both parties need to stop blaming each other, do what's right, get rid of their agendas or we will all be in big trouble soon
Its made worse by the fact that Obama specifically promised not to blame Bush for anything and that he'd stand and fall on his own. Like the rest of Obama's promises they lost effectiveness when his words hit the air.
The coffee was weak and the heat was off in the office this morning...
can someone get 'Dubbya' on the phone?
I demand answers, stat!!
Nerds.
China told them not to do this. They did it anyway. I think it's time for China to step up and take the idiot son out of the picture before it's too late.
Maybe we could get the Israelis to bomb them for us, as a preemptive strike. They seem to dig surgical strikes, and all they would have to do for justification is to publicly state they think N. Korea presents a threat to their national security. It seems to work for them in all situations.
I just can't understand this. In 1994 (or abouts) Clinton hailed the success of Jimmy Carter and Madeline Albright and announced that NK had given up its nuke aspirations in exchange for oil and food. Oh wait, I am starting to remember.... In 2002 NK said. "HA!! Fooled you". Then, the left went apoplectic when Bush declared NK as one of the axis of evil. And NOW, we expect Obama to do something? What a joke!!
In the end Bush was right and Clinton and Obama were wrong.
Have to get some of them neighboring countries to stand up also. While we spend our
money or China's, we are going bankrupt which makes us vulnerable. This @!$%#ing
country needs to wake up and see that there are many enemies out there that
want to see the fall of the USA. Who wouldn’t want a strategically placed
country in the middle of everything just like the British wanted? Blow the
@!$%#s up along with a few others. They say in the article we have to be
the Gap between China and North Korea?? You live closer China; you cost this country
billions each year with corporate espionage by trying to hack our
infrastructure and patent office. I say wipe our debt clean and then we will
step in and finish what we didn’t back in the 50's. @!$%# them!
For eveyone asking what will Obama do? First call your Congressman or woman and your Senators and ask the what will they do or allow him to do first and then you will have your answer.
Relax folks. Kim's not going to fire a nuke at anyone. He may be crazy, but his generals have to know the score, or nobody would obey their commands. So if Kim gives the order, the nearest senior officer draws his sidearm, & the order is rescinded. So sad, another state funeral. Seems Kim had an accident while cleaning a pistol.
Think of this as a hostage situation. The impoverished population of North Korea are the hostages, & we just have to wait them out. Whe the people get desparate enough, there'll be an uprising.
The best thing we could do is drop copies of "The Ransome of Red Chief" over the poorest sections of the country.
Lmao what a rube. They've murdered South Koreans continually because they have the ability. They haven't nuked us because they don't have the ability...yet.
"They" would have to brain-washed, stupid, & insane to launch nukes at us. Nobody with that combination of character traits will ever attain command rank in any military.
This is the only way the immature Kim Jung thinks he can keep the rest of the world from getting together and taking him out.
Good. The more countries with nukes the sooner all wars will end.
Yeah, Nobel's dynamite sure worked.
...
The president will be proposing unilateral reduction on our nuclear arsenal.
When that is accomplished, both North Korea and Iran will understand that we mean them no harm and will reduce their efforts as well.
.
Biden in 2016.
...
WTF????????????
Up until now, I'd only heard rumors that idiots like nothing new here existed in our society. Seems we've found our sasquatch.
He's very typical of t he buffoons who voted for Obama.
nothing new here 1200374,
Okay lets review, North Korea = Nuking-up, Iran = Nuking-up, Turkey and other Islamic Countries = Nuking-up. United States = reducing our Nuclear Arsenal so that "others will like us." Bull$hit, they don't have to like us, they need to fear us. Why do you think no one has every tried to invade the U.S., because they're too scared to try, even as stupid as most of those countries listed above are, they know the consequences would be catastrophic, why, because they fear us, not because they like us. Liberal morons.
I can see it now. A false flag nuclear attack on the west coast! The American government & media will claim it's North Korea! Only then, will we wipe them out.
What was that Al Roker Video at the beginning of this story? Was he faking being in a storm?????
I dunno, maybe ask the folks in New Jersey about fake storms
I know, let the US Army invade on foot, no drones, choppers just on foot with AR15s .
Man on man and led by General Rush Limbaugh and second in command Sean Hannity and their best officer Ted, Bambi killer, Nugent. No military experience in the lot but maybe they could talk N Korea to death.
Yes and we listen to Obama because of his military service right?
You had Bush and his military...well fake service and did nothing and now you have Rush the draft dodger and Ted the draft dodger rattling a sword. Laughable
"Similar events in inter-Korean relations tend to happen every year or two, with little or no overall impact," Lankov said. "It has been an open secret for 25 years that North Korea intends to become a full nuclear power, with a delivery system that allows it to threaten the United States."
They have run over us as much as they feel like it. They know that they have no serious threat from us as long as they don't start an armed conflict. So they will keep on bullying and pushing. We have smart bombs, do we have smart missels? Send one in and nail the governing end of the North and let the people have their country back.
We do and they have 10,000 artillery aimed at S Korea. So, I'm guessing they would make Iraq look like Sean Hannity
And how many Iranians were partaking in the test/observing? And when they get enough material to build bombs, they will have to do very little, if any testing, of warheads because NK will have already done it for them under their cooperation agreement. Iran gives the missile technology and NK gives them warhead technology.
Ask yourself, just how is that Mr. Obama will determine that Iran has decided to go forward with constructing nukes? Is he a mind reader? And what, if anything is he doing to address their cooperation with NK and the resulting expansion of the capabilities and technology of both NK and Iran? Oh, I forgot, he was going to sit down, face to face, with them and all would be resolved. While at the same time he announces plans to weaken and eliminate some of our defenses. Brilliant!
Unfortunately this country is broke. If north Korea dropped the bomb on us we don't have enough money to retaliate. That must be Bush's fault.
Wrong Rush Jr. The USA has thousands of ICBMs and we have way over the capacity to defend ourselves.
Of course I can't figure how more aircraft carriers aid us in fighting camel jockies in the desert who hold their own with home made devices and rocks.
Actually it goes back to the military-industrial complex over half a century ago.
Lmao. You are ridiculous and just spoutingwords you recall from eigth grade.
skimbum,
Never heard the term "arms race"?
who are we to tell N.K. what they can do! Ron Paul 2016!
Wonder if we could sell or just give the North Korea some F-16's or some nice fancy new Abram Tanks.........LOL
I believe we could just give them to NK and beg them not to pick on or bully us, please!
wars and rumor's of wars the end is in sight
Why does any country give these scum any aid. They are too far brainwashed to be saved. Let them all starve to death. Like any aid is getting to the peasants anyhow. How stupid are these countries that give them aid....oops, I forgot, we have Obama.
phillykevin2
I heard this time and time again,George Bush had 9 months notice of an attack 2001 and did nothing,will somebody please tell me what notice did he have and what he could have done about it?
Thanks
No, he didn't. If fact Rove & Cheney sent memos to the FBI & CIA warning them not to investigate our friends & allies, Saudi Arabia. Including those Saudis, like the Bin Ladens, who might have had ties to Al Qaida.
An American journalist in Europe, Greg Pallas, has copies.
North Korea should have been DESTROYED in the 50's.
No ifs ands or buts about it.
MacArthur tried, but the Chinese butted in.
Not to worry; obama is warming up AF-1, got a new set of knee pads, and is on his way to do some serious a$$ kissing!! Let the next apoligy tour begin! Don't give up your God your guns or the Boy scouts to the HMIC!
and I see we have our REMF opinion
You lost Vietnam so what are you yelling about
No - the Vets didn't lose Vietnam, ijit, the drug-taking, candy-assed wimps who fled to Canada and the pansy Govt. who caved to pressure did. It's already been reported elsewhere that they would have caved to the US in less than a week, but the politicians were sick of listening to all the whiners and were afraid they'd lose their so highly-vaunted positions in the following elections if they didn't withdraw.
Napalm not only got into your body but affected your mind too.
Kim Jung Un is just a little snot nosed brat raised by a freaking demagogue. We need to roast that little booger eater.
Rush Limbaugh, G W Bush, Ted Nugent, Bill O'Riley, Dick Cheney, Neil Boortz , Tom Delay? That who you talking about dodging the draft? Refusing to fight?
Heck we had 15 years, bombers, choppers against a third world country with no choppers, no napalm no bombers and yet could not do the job?
Like now, against Akmed on a Camel with firecrackers and home made bombs and yet Almed , age, 55, diabetes, blind in one eye, stands his ground. American soldiers complain about not having bullet proof underware.