Report: North Korea Conducts Nuke Test

[Proletariat]

http://abcnews.go.com/International/...ory?id=2543503

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

SEOUL, South Korea Oct 8, 2006 (AP)— South Korean government officials said North Korea performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test Monday, the South's Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korean officials could not immediately confirm the report.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun convened an urgent meeting of security advisers over the issue, Yonhap reported.

The North said last week it would conduct a nuclear test as part of its deterrent against a possible U.S. invasion.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Now what?

[discovery1]

We wait for the siesmic test results.

[Csargo]

The North said last week it would conduct a nuclear test as part of its deterrent against a possible U.S. invasion

Wouldn't that make it more likely for the U.S. to invade?

[Proletariat]

We wait for the siesmic test results.

South Korea's intelligence agency has detected a 3.58-magnitude seismic tremor, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...1-2703,00.html

[Divinus Arma]

Now what; indeed.

[spmetla]

Wonder how long before the increased sanctions take place. Also curious as to what the reaction in Beijing and Moscoq will be. If NK is really being their rebellious little brother I hope for strong language and action from these two powers.

[Xiahou]

Something tells me China would've known about this. I don't think ole Kim can take a leak without approval from the PRC.

[DemonArchangel]

Apparently China had 20 minutes advance warning from the North Koreans (they promptly told the Japanese and Americans).

[Samurai Waki]

China isn't quite in cohesion with North Korea anymore. So I think they are trying to distance themselves a bit, it shows a good sign that China told the US and Japan promptly that they want nothing to do with this, especially if they were only given a 20 minute heads up as well.

[Devastatin Dave]

Call Kofi Annan, he's out only hope!!!

[BigTex]

We wait for the siesmic test results.

South korea has confirmed it there was a large tremor at the time that north korea said it happened http://www.comcast.net/news/index.js...09/494716.html . An invasion is unlikely, as even conservative estimates are that 1 million people will die within the first 24 hours of a war. War with North Korea would bring death tolls that could come close to WWII figures. Whats more likely are sanctions and if neccessary you could always cut off their food imports, cruel but better then any war. The real question is how long will it take for Japan and South Korea to go nuclear now......... The world has certainly changed in just a few short hours.
________________
Speak softly and carry tactical nukes.

BigTex

Ridicolus
"Hilary Clinton is the devil"
~Texas proverb

[Devastatin Dave]

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/images/maddykim.jpg

[Samurai Waki]

Call Kofi Annan, he's out only hope!!!

KOFI AWAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!

BigTex: It seems unlikely that Japan or SK would need to go nuclear, seeing as that both countries have a strong American Presence. If Japan and SK are attacked with Nukes, its almost 100% Assured, that they'll have a Response from us, the strongest Nuclear Nation in the world.

[discovery1]

Japan already has vast nuclear capability. They could probably put one together a month or two, and have a very good missile ready within a year. Indeed, I would not be surprised if they could put one together in secret.

[BigTex]

KOFI AWAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!

BigTex: It seems unlikely that Japan or SK would need to go nuclear, seeing as that both countries have a strong American Presence. If Japan and SK are attacked with Nukes, its almost 100% Assured, that they'll have a Response from us, the strongest Nuclear Nation in the world.

Japan has already said they would put together a bomb if North Korea went nuclear. A strong US presence is nothing, a drop in the bucket. North Korea has the 4th largest army in the world, we only have 100,000 troops in South Korea, and very few marines in Japan. A Nuclear North Korea will cause alot of proliforation. While we may have the largest arsenal of nuclear weapons ever assembled. While we have some ICBM's that carry 32 seperately targetable warheads each fully capable of reducing a modern city to rubble. While we have enough bombers with nuclear weapons to carpet bomb the Korean peninsula several times over. It doesnt change the fact that it only takes a push of a button and 10 minutes later hundreds of thousands of South Koreans or Japanese would vanish from existance. Japan and South Korea will go nuclear, its just a matter of when.
____________
Speak softly and carry tactical nukes.

BigTex

Ridicolus
"Hilary Clinton is the devil"
~Texas proverb

[spmetla]

So are you guys envisioning Japan getting rid of Article 9 in its constitution and then creating a true military instead of the self defense force? So long as Japan has naval and air superiority over NK they are safe.

As for them going nuclear, is there a legal way for them to do it? I'd rather the US not have to choose between sanctions on Japan or again having a double standard with nuclear weapons for our buddies but not for anyone else.

[Ice]

Oh no. This is very bad indeed.

Now what indeed.

Will there be a war?

[Cha]

America Confirms Seismic Tremors
*GULP*

[spmetla]

I just realized that if North Korea fixes the problems with it's ICBMs then my sunny Honolulu is well within range

[discovery1]

Hmmm

Sanctions will follow, surely.

I bet most of our nukes are pointed at N Korea and will be while it is still a force. Should war break out the N Koreans would have to be destroyed within the first few minutes

Yes, spmelta Japan may well change its constitution. It may even not, and simply build nukes in secret. Actually, I beat they could get away with openly having nukes. Just use them in the kill vehicles of a missile defense system.

[Geoffrey S]

Sanctions and bomb the crap out of the place; don't bother with the occupying part. If confirmed as a true nuclear test, this is at the very least one step too far and should not be tolerated in any way.

[Scurvy]

I doubt sanctions will hjave much effect though, NK seems detirmined to go nuclear, and sanctions just make them more detirmined - the answer is that no country should have nuclear weapons, but thats never going to happen

[Keba]

Well, this is a most interesting development. It may give weight to NK in the diplomatic sphere, though it has likely pissed a lot of people off, possibly including their only remaining ally, China.

Either way, they've made a tactical error in not doing the test properly, that is notifying people well in advance and making them watch.

Sanctions and bomb the crap out of the place; don't bother with the occupying part. If confirmed as a true nuclear test, this is at the very least one step too far and should not be tolerated in any way.

And sacrifice hundreds of thousands, even millions of South Koreans and Japanese, as their cities are turned to glass because of your campaign?

Americans, when will you learn to think about consequences for a change?

[discovery1]

If the North Koreans attack us then I say go all out immediately. Barring that force is not an option any rational person would consider.

[Geoffrey S]

And sacrifice hundreds of thousands, even millions of South Koreans and Japanese, as their cities are turned to glass because of your campaign?

Americans, when will you learn to think about consequences for a change?

Hate to break it to you, but I'm not American. Stereotypes giving you trouble, are they?

Right now North Korea has the bomb. It doesn't yet have longrange missiles equiped with said weapon; there is still time to decisively strike the nation before Japan and South Korea can be held hostage. But whatever happens, North Korea should not be allowed to get away with this under any circumstances whatsoever. You talk of consequences, what do you think those will be of North Korea keeping its neighbours under the barrel of a gun all the time? No, in this case there must be action and it must be now.

[BigTex]

Sanctions and bomb the crap out of the place; don't bother with the occupying part. If confirmed as a true nuclear test, this is at the very least one step too far and should not be tolerated in any way.

Thats insane, thats simply crazy. You can't bomb North Korea, it will result in total war. This isnt Iraq either a build up of force would mean invasion by Nk also. At this present time quite honestly there's nothing really holding the North Koreans at bay, a war with North Korea would mean the south is steamrolled by the north korean army. If there was a war, it isnt just a bombing campaign its about crushing the north and reunifing the korean peninsula, because after the millions are dead, after the once beautiful dmz is destroyed, after the entire peninsula is reduced to a burning war zone. The least we could do is this time finish what started 50 years ago and unify it.

Americans, when will you learn to think about consequences for a change?

You may want to note the person you quoted is from Holland. Which would be why the person isnt thinking hard about the consequences of a war. Europe shouldn't be alloud much of a voice in what happens quite honestly, unless they also will commit a a few hundred thousand troops to defend the dmz. Also keba south korea is a beautiful example of what the consequences are of US intervention, a thriving democratic country.
________________
Speak softly and carry tactical nukes.

BigTex

Ridicolus
"Hilary Clinton is the devil"
~Texas proverb

[Avicenna]

Uh-oh.

Falling stock, possible falling out, and all the while I'm in striking distance.

[Keba]

Uh, sorry about that comment, I've seen a large number from Americans and assumed incorrectly. Sorry, again.

Intervention, yes, however, it's a lose-lose situation. Anyone attacks, the losses would be massive, add to that that the chances of victory are exceptionally low, the NK have been preparing for that kind of event for decades.

Now, how do you think they will respond to an attack on that scale? First, they let the troops into their country, fighting as they do, and thereby disabling enemy nuclear capabilies, then unleashing their own, either on cities of Japan and South Korea or on the troops, depends on what their mood is. In either case, millions die, countries are reduced to glass, and successful democracies dissapear as they are atomized, along with their populations. NK will lose, but, in the end, they have victory.

Europe will never get involved. Individual countries may become involved, but most just won't risk it. Unlike the US populace, the European isn't as easily motivated. My country's population objected to sending a unit to train soldiers in Afghanistan. Most in Europe see no point in sending troops there, for the simple reason that it doesn't concern them, it is far away, and NK will anyway be in a shouting (possibly shooting) match with the US and China. If the three destroy each other, then so much the better. Europe will not get involved.

Any attack on NK will result in failure, and worse, will result in massive civilian casualties. Air strikes would be pointless, anyone with half of a brain would know that an air strike might come, so they're likely keeping their missiles buried so deep that no bomb can make it. There is little else to traget, the sancions have seen to that.

South Korea was successful for different reasons. It wasn't ravaged by war, the populace was liberated, and it saw itself as liberated from Japanese oppression. The liberators were welcomed, and their ways were emulated. However, had there not been that element of liberation there would be no real effect. I'm not sure how the NK feel.

[ezrider]

No-ones fining no goddam nukes at nobody! Stop freaking out.

After dissing his biggest friend(China), the sanctions will kick in, Kim will agree to something, blah blah blah. Japan and S.Korea don't need nukes and building them will only lead to a SE Asian style Cold war/Cuban Missile Crisis paranoia.

[Shaka_Khan]

...South Korea was successful for different reasons. It wasn't ravaged by war, the populace was liberated, and it saw itself as liberated from Japanese oppression. The liberators were welcomed, and their ways were emulated. However, had there not been that element of liberation there would be no real effect. I'm not sure how the NK feel.

Actually, South Korea was heavily ravaged by the Korean War.