April 8th, 2013 at 3:32 am » Comments (5)

Like I have mentioned before I would not be surprised if the North Koreans cap off this most recent cycle of provocations with their own missile and nuclear tests before deciding to deescalate things: SEOUL, April 8 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s defense ministry said Monday that satellite imagery showing the movement of vehicles and personnel near North Korea’s nuclear test site is seen as normal activity, refuting speculation that the latest actions point to an imminent atomic test. Local media on Monday reported that Pyongyang may be preparing for its
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February 23rd, 2013 at 6:06 am » Comments (7)

Here is an update on the hunt to detect particles from the North Korean’s recent nuclear test: U.S. and allied spy agencies have found no traces of telltale nuclear-related particles from North Korea’s Feb. 12 nuclear bomb test, leaving unresolved basic questions about the device’s design, according to officials in the United States, Europe and South Korea. unanswered about the type of fissile material used in the test, which was detected by seismic sensors. It also leaves unaddressed questions about how far the North has advanced in its bomb design.
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February 20th, 2013 at 6:27 pm » Comments (8)

Via the Korea Economic Reader comes this interesting article in the Financial Times about how the North Korean’s nuclear test was just as much a signal towards China as it was the US: Sir, Hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers, including Chairman Mao Zedong’s eldest son, gave their lives to prevent North Korea’s demise during the Korean war. Since then, the relationship between China and North Korea has been governed by what the Chinese call Chun Wang Chi Han: “If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.” In
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February 19th, 2013 at 8:23 am » Comments (2)

That is what scientists in Korea are saying to explain why no nuclear materials have been found after the North’s recent nuclear test: After conducting its first nuclear test in 2006, North Korea changed the internal structure of its underground site in Punggye-ri in North Hamgyong Province so that it does not allow any radioactive leakage for other countries to analyze, an official from Seoul’s Ministry of Defense said yesterday. “A monitoring station in Canada once detected traces of [radioactive material called] xenon right after [the North’s] first nuclear test
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February 15th, 2013 at 9:21 am » Comments (6)

I have been interested to see if the North Koreans detonated a plutonium or uranium bomb and so far there is no evidence at least in the air samples taken of either: South Korean scientists failed to detect critical radioactive gas from air samples collected over the East Sea that could have proven whether North Korea used an enriched uranium device for its third nuclear test. Using helicopters, the Navy collected air samples for 12 hours after the underground nuclear weapons test Tuesday, with winds blowing from the north, to
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February 13th, 2013 at 8:52 am » Comments (9)

South Korea plans to build up their missile capabilities in response to the North Korean nuclear test: The MND said South Korea’s military has deployed cruise missiles capable of striking anywhere in the North, and was accelerating its development of systems capable of detecting, intercepting, and destroying incoming ballistic missiles. South Korea’s Yonhap News reported Tuesday that U.S. and South Korean military officials will meet in Washington on Feb. 21 to discuss possible deterrence strategies toward Pyongyang, including intelligence-sharing and possible pre-emptive measures. The MND spokesman said he did not
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February 12th, 2013 at 5:46 am » Comments (3)

It looks like the North Koreans had another nuclear test that was smaller than expected: SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) — North Korea claimed that it successfully conducted its third underground nuclear test at its northeastern site on Tuesday, drawing strong condemnation from the international community, including the governments of South Korea and the United States. Hours after an unusual seismic tremor was detected at the North’s Punggye-ri nuclear test complex, Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that the detonation was of a “high level” using a smaller device compared
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February 9th, 2013 at 3:56 am » Comments (3)

Ralph Cossa from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has a piece published where the author advocates for what China should do in regards to the upcoming North Korean nuclear test: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. North Korea decides, for whatever reason, that it is time to once again challenge the international community by conducting missile and nuclear tests. It announces a “satellite launch” and proceeds, despite international condemnation and warnings of dire consequences, to test its long-range missile capabilities. The U.N. Security Council (UNSC)
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February 6th, 2013 at 6:20 pm » Comments (3)

Despite China’s “serious concern”, they are not going to do anything that would threaten the collapse of the Kim regime and the North Koreans know this: China expressed serious concern on Wednesday after North Korea stepped up its bellicose rhetoric and threatened to go beyond a third nuclear test in response to what it sees as “hostile” sanctions imposed after a December rocket launch. “China is extremely concerned by the way things are going. We oppose any behavior which may exacerbate the situation and any acts which are not beneficial
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February 5th, 2013 at 8:19 am » Comments (0)

With the North Koreans, who knows?  They could have just told someone to drive to the test site a nice car just to mess with the intelligence agencies that they know are monitoring the site via satellite: High-ranking North Korean officials are believed to have visited the North’s nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, North Hamgyong Province on Monday. The identities of the officials have not been confirmed, but the latest intelligence is taken by the South Korean authorities as a sign that the Pyongyang could carry out a nuclear test
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