NationStates Jolt Archive

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3648794.stm

What is Kim up to now?

Their saying it's a nuclear blast on five live, have North Korea finally built a nuclear bomb? Where demanding a explanation.

South Korea says it might have been a forest fire, or fireworks.

Must have been one bloody big fireworks display to be seen by space and then reportedly leave a rather large crater, eh?

Update from CNN.

Quote:
SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- A large cloud that appeared over North Korea in satellite images several days ago was not the result of a nuclear explosion, according to a U.S. official.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency is reporting a huge explosion shook North Korea's northernmost province on Thursday producing a mushroom cloud over two miles (4 km) wide.

The blast coincided with the anniversary of North Korea's founding on Sepember 9 when various military activities are staged.

The U.S. official said the cloud could be the result of a forest fire.

South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-yong said the government was aware of the reports and is checking them.

"I have no information about the size of the damage of the explosion," he said on Sunday, according to Yonhap.

Chung also said he believed there was no correlation between the explosion and reports of North Korea preparing for a possible nuclear test.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that U.S. President George W. Bush and his top advisers recently received intelligence reports that could indicate North Korea is preparing its first nuclear test, citing senior officials with access to the intelligence.

Yonhap reported the explosion happened in Yanggang province along the Chinese border, the site of Yongjori Missile Base -- a large facility with an underground missile firing range.

According to data gathered by Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Yongjori is a suspected site for North Korea's uranium enrichment program.

According to its Web site, NTI is a private charity -- funded by CNN founder Ted Turner -- dedicated to lessen the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction -- nuclear, chemical and biological -- around the globe.





So there WAS a mushroom cloud? And if all this happened a several days ago then how comes they are so "certainly unsure" about what really happened?
"Certain" it wasn't nuclear blast, "unsure" whether there was a mushroom cloud. Damage is unknown yet a crater was seen from satellite.

A forest fire heh?

If anyone got news from different sources, please post links or quotes.

Guess that the BBC link still was the best

On the other hand: It really matters nothing what secrecy measures North-Koreans would try in case of real nuclear test. In case of true nuclear explosion, it would be technical means that would reveal it, not humint-sources....

Full weapon yield testing could not be done in secrecy in North Korea:

- atmospheric test would left clear isotopic "fingerprint" that could be detected thousands kilometres away from test site
- underground test would be detected immediately by seismometers all around the world

Right now the NY Times is reporting that administration officials are saying it was not a nuclear event, (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/12/international/asia/12CND-NUKE.html?hp) even though there is apparently a huge-ass crater.

What bugs me--and I said this last night--is that this happened on Thursday and we're only hearing about it now. That's frightening.

Right now the NY Times is reporting that administration officials are saying it was not a nuclear event, (http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/12/international/asia/12CND-NUKE.html?hp) even though there is apparently a huge-ass crater.

What bugs me--and I said this last night--is that this happened on Thursday and we're only hearing about it now. That's frightening.
yep.

It could be that South Korea and Washington are saying it's not a nuclear blast in the hope that this will all go away and everybody will forget it ever happened.

The denial of the dreaded unthinkable..... North Korea have gone nuclear, they could not be stopped.

I think we will all have to wait to hear what North Korea's spokespersons have to say. If they have gone nuclear, I don't think they will keep quiet about it. It will be a weapon in more ways than one.

There are many stories that the mainstream news media doesn't cover. As soon as one network picks up a story, the others seem to follow suit.

The DPRK is known as the 'hermit kingdom' for a reason. ;)

They have the MOAB :(

forrest fire? my ass, even FIREWORKS is more logical than a forrest fire, unless they lit the whole damned forrest up like a christmas tree at one time. the US is no stranger to forrest fires and they dont produce mushrooms clouds.

and for the US to be covering is up means they either a) dont want to scare the population or b) are in on it

and the ONLY thing i can think of that would've produced a similar effect is if there is some sort of volcano in the area and it set off.

"South Korean officials said the blast was not likely linked to a nuclear test and officials in Vladivostok, a Russian city located near where the blast occurred, said radiation levels were stable on the day of the explosion."

- http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/106286/1/.html

could someone show any links to these pics of a giant crater?

Maybe it was aliens crash-landing on Earth, and we're about to be overrun by brain-munching monsters. Either way, I'm building a bunker in the garden.

Maybe it was aliens crash-landing on Earth, and we're about to be overrun by brain-munching monsters. Either way, I'm building a bunker in the garden.

You know what, the world would be unlucky enough to have it happen in North Korea...

Maybe it was aliens crash-landing on Earth, and we're about to be overrun by brain-munching monsters. Either way, I'm building a bunker in the garden.

Poor Alliens, from all places they landed in Kims workers paradise :) Immagine the alliens being tortured *"speak up dirty yankee spy where is the secret Mc crap recipe that you're hidding for us"* :D

And 96 years ago they landed in Siberia. Mysterious large explosions in that area of the world. :p