North Korea: Resolution is “War,” and a 2nd Nuke Test
by Richardson ~ October 17th, 2006. Filed under: Arms Race, Nuclear Proliferation, WMD.North Korea says that UNSC Resolution 1718 amounts to a “declaration of war.” One problem with that is that it was a unanimous UNSC vote, including China and Russia. A North Korean statement issued today states:
We will fulfil our duty to denuclearize the Korean peninsula as we have already declared, but if anyone tries to infringe on our sovereignty and our right to existence, even a bit, under the signboard of the UN Security Council resolution, we will unsparingly launch a merciless strike.
And U.S. satellites have picked up activity in the north that may indicate preparations for another nuclear test. A second test will help outside analysts determine if the first bomb was in fact a failure, or had a low yield by design, which would be troubling. Apparently it’s more difficult to design plutonium bombs that consistently have a low yield (as in suitcase bombs), so a second test with very similar results could mean an unexpected level of sophistication in the North Korean program.
October 17th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
I would like to meet the fella that does the English translation for the KCNA…if it wasn’t so dreadfully serious it would be almost funny…
“…but if anyone tries to infringe on our sovereignty and our right to existence, even a bit…”
Even an teensey-weensey bit? Ha. Man oh man. There are so many fine examples.
Okay, my point is, since the english translations are obviously not for internal consumption, why not hire a proper linguist who can translate out the jingoism of the DPRK government statements into something in English that doesn’t make their government sound like a bunch of retards? Hey Kim Jung Il, take some of that drug trafficing money and post an ad on Monster.co for heaven’s sakes. Fire the numbskull you’re using now and get someone who’s maybe been outside of DPRK?
October 17th, 2006 at 5:57 pm
true true re: post above. i’ve come to think of it as a madlib they have at their government public relations office.
it’s funny….yet sad at the same time.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:04 pm
Another Nuke Test in North Korea?…
Why not?
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists reports that the United States conducted a total of 1,030 nuclear weapons tests between 1945 and 1992. The Soviet Union, the Bulletin reports, conducted a series of 715 tests that ended in 1990. Other …