BREAKING NEWS: North Korea finally nukes itself for a third time

by Robert Koehler on February 12, 2013

Korean and American observers picked up a 5.1 earthquake in North Korea’s Kilju region at 11:57 am, meaning that in all likelihood, North Korea has just pulled ahead of Japan in the rankings for Asia’s most nuked nation.

For what it’s worth, CFC has lowered its “Watch Condition” from 3 to 2.

UPDATE: A Defense Ministry spokesman estimated the nuke test at six to seven kilotons. Or it would be six to seven kilotons if it were a nuke test, which has not been officially confirmed. Anyway, if it was a nuke test, it produced a bigger bang than the 2009 test.

UPDATE 2: David Sanger tweeted a funny:

NK conundrum: US offers to negotiate, they test. US freezes them out, they test. China warns them, they test. Maybe they just want to test.

— David Sanger (@SangerNYT) February 12, 2013

UPDATE 3: A (South) Korean government official told Yonhap that North Korea informed the United States, China and Russia yesterday that it would conduct a nuke test. They’ve notified the United States and China prior to their past tests, too.

UPDATE 4: Now the KCNA is reporting the test, bragging that not only was it more powerful, but the warhead was miniaturized and lightened. Oh, and fear not, tree huggers—the KCNA proudly noted that surrounding ecological environment was not impacted by the test.

Tagged as: North Korean nukes

{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Sperwer February 12, 2013 at 1:47 pm: Getting ready to duck and cover against the ensuing verbal diarhea from all the usual suspects in the commentariat
2 imememememe February 12, 2013 at 2:03 pm: oh man…i’m scheduled to visit seoul next week. what the f**k…
3 imememememe February 12, 2013 at 2:06 pm: south korea needs to put north korea to bed. and fuck china, goddamn enablers of this madness.
4 kimura027 February 12, 2013 at 2:24 pm: Who’s a bigger threat, Iran or North Korea?
5 Sperwer February 12, 2013 at 2:30 pm: Considering the apparent degree of nuclear and missile cooperation between them, they are two peas in a pod.
6 Horace Jeffery Hodges February 12, 2013 at 2:33 pm: “NK conundrum: US offers to negotiate, they test. US freezes them out, they test. China warns them, they test. Maybe they just want to test.”

Maybe they’re just testing the world.

Jeffery Hodges

* * *
7 Wedge1 February 12, 2013 at 3:18 pm: You just know there’ll be some highly informed comment on CNNMSNBCFOX. I can’t wait to be edumacated.
8 HSchmidt February 12, 2013 at 5:17 pm: Actually the most nuked nation in Asia is Japan. Nuked two times by American forces (each hitting major Japanese population centers) and the triple nuke at the Fukushima nuclear power plant (triple nuclear meltdown).

Japan got nuked five times, each of them at major population centers.

China carried out numerous nuclear tests away from population centers.

North Korea carried out numerous nuclear tests away from population centers.

The US has carried out the most nuclear tests away from population centers.

Who is the most nuked at population centers? Japan.
9 Robert Koehler February 12, 2013 at 6:09 pm: You forgot to blame it on Japan’s immigrant wives.
10 yangachibastardo February 12, 2013 at 7:16 pm: Iran: bigger economy, bigger population,proximity to major nodes of the world trade, shitboats of gas&oil etc. etc.
11 bballi February 12, 2013 at 7:55 pm: How does a mouse fuck an elephant?
12 Cloudfive February 12, 2013 at 8:09 pm: not a good analogy.
13 bballi February 12, 2013 at 8:26 pm: Then provide a better one
14 Cloudfive February 12, 2013 at 8:40 pm: You’re asking me to provide an analogy to illustrate your point?

How about no?
15 bballi February 12, 2013 at 8:55 pm: Pussy
16 que337 February 12, 2013 at 9:43 pm: Of course, the threat is a “godsend” opportunity for Japan’s rehab project:

“Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru learned of the North Korean attack, he reportedly exclaimed “it’s the Grace of Heaven.” Bank of Japan governor Ichimada Naoto called the procurement order “divine aid.” Speaking in the diet early in 1951, the tart-tongued Yoshida asserted that the “Korean War provided more stimulus for Japanese economic resurgence than did all the occupation efforts” under General Douglas MacArthur.” – Michael Schaller, Chapter 5 The Korean War: The Economic and Strategic Impact on Japan, “Korean War in World History”, p.148
17 One for all February 12, 2013 at 10:06 pm: Courtesy bow sir!
18 DC Musicfreak February 12, 2013 at 11:18 pm: Pyongyang is fast earning a place on this list.
19 jk641 February 13, 2013 at 4:26 am: awesome!
20 Fei Zhang February 13, 2013 at 5:52 am: “China warns them, they test.”

China hasn’t really warned them. A Chinese warning would involve at reduction in aid. Followed by a trade embargo after a test. NK is China’s hand puppet, trotted periodically out as a bargaining chip that is never relinquished. As the one country capable of cutting off the regime’s oxygen supply, China has the power to end the Kim dynasty and replace it with a non-hereditary dictatorship, but has chosen not to.
21 yangachibastardo February 13, 2013 at 5:58 am: Thanks for providing me with the comfy thought that after all in this cruel world i am indeed a gentleman
22 que337 February 13, 2013 at 7:51 am: Yes, PRC has been preparing for eating up NK as they did to Tibet. One of the deceptive project for the scheme is fabrication of ancient history. For example, PRC elongated the Great Wall so that it could touch Pyongyang.
23 Kuiwon February 13, 2013 at 9:43 am: Wow. I thought the Great Wall of China ended in the Yodong (Liaotung) peninsula.
24 wangkon936 February 13, 2013 at 9:54 am: Kuiwon, you just got wind of this now? China’s been doing this for awhile. Taking Koguryo walls and saying they are “Chinese.”
25 Kuiwon February 13, 2013 at 9:58 am: No, I’ve known that for awhile. But I didn’t know they drew the Great Wall that far south.
26 Yu Bum Suk February 13, 2013 at 1:22 pm: Actually I’d expect Bikini Atoll or some place in Polynesia to be the most nuked.
27 Robert Koehler February 13, 2013 at 2:03 pm: It’s actually Nevada. By far:

http://www.businessinsider.com/map-of-the-day-the-other-2000-nuclear-tests-2013-2