“North Korea defied world powers and carried out an underground test Monday of a nuclear bomb that was comparable to those that obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
Lee, Jean. Defying world powers, N. Korea conducts nuke test. Retrieved on May 26, 2009 from [Source]
The incident drew condemnation from Washington to Beijing and set the communist regime up for a showdown with the United Nations. Monday’s atomic test was conducted shortly before 10 a.m. about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of the northern city of Kilju. Two hours later, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency declared that the regime had “successfully conducted one more underground nuclear test on May 25 as part of measures to bolster its nuclear deterrent for self-defense.” The U.S. Geological Survey registered seismic activity in northeastern North Korea at 9:54 a.m. (0054 GMT), which it initially identified as a 4.7-magnitude earthquake.
Pyongyang is believed to have enough plutonium for at least a half-dozen atomic bombs. However, experts say scientists have not yet mastered the miniaturization needed to mount a nuclear device onto a long-range missile.
Today, North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles from a nearby launch pad and intelligence described them as ground-to-air missiles with a range of 80 miles (130 kilometers). Military officials in South Korea stated the launches appeared to be aimed at keeping U.S. and Japanese surveillance planes away from the nuclear test site. North Korea also warned ships to stay away from waters off its western coast this week, a sign it may be gearing up for more missile tests in the future.
The Central News Agency of North Korea criticized the current U.S. administration in following in the footsteps of the previous Bush administration’s reckless policy of militarily stifling North Korea. Russia called the test a “serious blow” to efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and suspended a Russia-North Korean intergovernmental trade and economic commission, apparently in response to the test. The slap on the wrist was a telling indication that Moscow, once a key backer of North Korea, was unhappy with Pyongyang.
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