Korea tested a hydrogen bomb. North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb

On Sunday, September 3, it conducted its sixth nuclear test. According to South Korean and Western media reports, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 to 6.3 was recorded in the country. If the nuclear test was actually carried out, this means that it was the most powerful in the history of the DPRK.

Earlier, South Korean intelligence admitted that the DPRK authorities had completed preparations for conducting a nuclear test in two underground tunnels at the Punggye-ri test site in the northeast of the country.

Subsequently, the DPRK officially announced the successful testing of a hydrogen bomb. The corresponding statement was announced on Sunday, September 3, on the air of the DPRK Central Television. It is noted that the tested hydrogen charge could be placed on an intercontinental ballistic missile, TASS reports.

TESTS MORE POWERFUL THAN BOMB EXPLOSIONS IN NAGASAKI AND HIROSHIMA

Apparently, the yield of North Korea's sixth nuclear test was 100 kilotons, which is about 4-5 times more powerful than the explosion of a nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945 (21 kilotons), Yonhap news agency reports. At the same time, the yield of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima was 18 kilotons. Some media reports that the bomb yield of North Korea's sixth nuclear test could be one megaton.

China's earthquake administration initially detected a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in North Korea and called it a "suspicious explosion." The fact is that usually the epicenter of earthquakes is located in the depths, but this time seismologists noticed that it was on the surface of the Earth.

Reuters
Japanese seismologists found that the magnitude of the earthquake was 6.3

This gave grounds for experts to conclude that the DPRK conducted its sixth nuclear test. Subsequently, North Korea itself announced an “exceptionally successful” hydrogen bomb test. According to the China Earthquake Administration, the shock occurred at about 11:30 am local time - 5:30 am - Kyiv time, Reuters reports.

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THE WORLD'S REACTION

Japan sent a decisive and harsh protest to the DPRK through diplomatic channels in connection with the new nuclear test. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters about this.

“This is absolutely unforgivable,” said Kono, who was the first official to announce that the Japanese government believes North Korea has carried out another nuclear test.

“We have come to the conclusion that North Korea has conducted a nuclear test,” he said following an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. Taro Kono added that Pyongyang's actions are a "direct and blatant violation of UN Security Council resolutions" and stressed that "all options regarding North Korea are on the table." "We will take a serious look at how we respond [to the nuclear test]," he said.

The Japanese Foreign Minister intends to hold telephone conversations with his counterparts from the United States and South Korea in the near future. “We are now preparing [for such calls],” he noted.

Reuters
Kim Jong-un gives instructions regarding the nuclear program, file photo

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered to strengthen monitoring of radiation levels and maintain constant contact with neighboring countries in connection with a possible new nuclear test by the DPRK.

Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, in turn, said that the country's Air Self-Defense Force aircraft are currently measuring possible changes in the level of radiation in the atmosphere after the alleged North Korean nuclear test.

North Korea took US President Donald Trump's speech at the UN about his readiness to “completely destroy” the DPRK as a declaration of war and is ready to retaliate. One of them could be carrying out the most powerful hydrogen bomb explosion in the history of Pyongyang’s nuclear tests in the Pacific Ocean. This possibility was allowed by North Korean Foreign Minister Lee Yong-ho, who arrived in New York to speak at a meeting of the UN General Assembly, Yonhap agency reports. According to him, what exactly North Korea's response will be will be determined by the country's leader Kim Jong-un.

On September 19, Trump, speaking from the UN rostrum, noted that the United States, “possessing enormous strength and patience,” could “completely destroy” the DPRK. The American president called Kim Jong-un a “rocket man” whose mission is “suicidal for himself and his regime.”

The DPRK's first reaction to these statements was disgusting: the Foreign Ministry compared Trump's promises to the “barking of a dog” that cannot frighten Pyongyang. However, a day later, the official North Korean news agency KCNA published Kim Jong-un’s commentary on the words of the American president. He described Trump as a “political heretic,” “a bully and a troublemaker,” threatening to wipe out a sovereign state. The North Korean leader advised his American colleague to “be careful in the choice of words and be attentive to the statements that he makes in front of the whole world.” Trump, according to Pyongyang, is an “outcast and a gangster” who is unsuitable for the country’s top command. The leader of the DPRK perceived his speech as a US refusal to peace, called it “the most outrageous declaration of war” and promised to seriously consider “super-harsh retaliatory measures.” Such measures, according to the DPRK Foreign Minister, could be a super-powerful test of a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean.

At the end of August, Pyongyang, commenting on the launch of its ballistic missile, which flew over Japanese territory for the first time, noted that this was “the first step in the military operation of the Korean People’s Army in the Pacific Ocean and a prelude to the containment of Guam,” where US military bases are located.

Pyongyang's threat to test a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean came hours after Trump promised to further tighten sanctions against North Korea. New restrictions by the UN Security Council were introduced only on September 11. Then the world organization limited North Korea’s ability to import more than 2 million barrels of petroleum products per year, and also imposed a ban on the export of all its textile products and labor, which annually brought in at least $1.2 billion. The UN also authorized the freezing of cargo transported under the North Korean flag in in case of refusal of the ship's command to perform an inspection.

These measures were unanimously supported by all 15 member countries of the UN Security Council. However, initially the United States demanded more, in particular, it insisted on a complete ban on the import of petroleum products and personal sanctions against Kim Jong-un. On September 21, Trump announced that he was expanding his administration’s authority to impose sanctions against North Korea. His order aims to cut off financial flows that "fuel North Korea's efforts" to develop nuclear weapons. In particular, Washington intends to tighten sanctions against individuals, enterprises and banks that do business with North Korea, Fox News reports. Separately, we are talking about suppliers of technology and information to the DPRK.

The signing of Trump's sanctions decree was preceded by his consultations on increasing pressure on North Korea with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Until now, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests underground. The last, most powerful, occurred on September 3. Initially, experts estimated its power at 100–120 kt, which is 5–6 times stronger than the previous one, but later increased their estimates to 250 kt. The magnitude of the explosion, initially estimated at 4.8, was later adjusted to 6.1. These estimates confirmed that the DPRK was able to create a hydrogen bomb, since the power of a conventional atomic bomb is limited to 30 kt. Pyongyang officially announced the successful testing of a hydrogen bomb - a warhead for a missile.

Even after the DPRK's underground nuclear test, South Korean observers recorded the release of radioactive gas xenon-133 into the atmosphere, although they stipulated that its concentration was not dangerous to health and the environment. At the same time, an explosion with a power of 250 kt is close to the maximum that the North Korean nuclear test site Punggye-ri could withstand, experts noted. On satellite images, they recorded landslides and rock subsidence at the underground testing sites, which could potentially lead to a violation of its integrity and the release of radionuclides to the surface. How many more tests he can withstand is unknown.

Until now, the presence of a hydrogen bomb has been officially recognized by five countries that have the status of nuclear powers - the USA, Russia, Great Britain, France and China. They are permanent members of the UN Security Council with the right of veto. The completion of the development of such weapons in the DPRK is not recognized.

North Korea conducted another nuclear weapons test on September 3. Now, they claim, a hydrogen bomb has been detonated. Seismic tremors have been recorded in the Far East. Based on them, experts estimated the charge power to be from 50 to 100 kilotons. The power of the bombs detonated by the Americans in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 was about 20 kilotons. Then two explosions killed more than 200 thousand people. The Korean bomb is many times more powerful. A few days earlier, North Korea tested its ballistic missile. This rocket flew 2,700 kilometers and fell in the Pacific Ocean. Flew over the Japanese island of Hokkaido.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that they will now fire missiles towards the American military base on the island of Guam. And this island is a little further from Korea - 3,300 kilometers. Moreover, some experts claim that this rocket can fly twice the distance. According to the map, such a missile could reach the United States. At least Alaska is already in the kill zone.

So, there is a rocket and there is a bomb. This does not mean that the Koreans are ready to launch a nuclear missile strike right now. A nuclear explosive device is not yet a warhead. Experts say that pairing a bomb and a missile requires several years of work. However, it is absolutely clear that for Korean engineers this is a solvable task. The Americans are threatening North Korea with a military strike. Indeed, it seems like a simple solution - to destroy launchers, missile and nuclear weapons factories with aviation. And the habits of Americans in this regard are simple. Anything - immediately bomb. Why aren't they bombing now? And they threaten somehow hesitantly. Because from the border separating North and South Korea to the center of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a little over 30 kilometers.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles will not be needed here. Here you can shoot howitzers. And Seoul is a city of ten million. By the way, many Americans live there. The US and South Korea have extensive business relations. So in response to an American attack, the North Koreans may attack South Korea, Seoul first. North Korea's army is one million strong. There are another four million in reserve.

Some hotheads say: this is a poor country with a very weak economy. Well, firstly, the economy there is no longer as weak as it was 20 years ago. According to indirect signs, there is economic growth. Well, secondly, they were able to make a rocket. They made an atomic bomb and even a hydrogen one. They should not be underestimated. Therefore, there are risks of a major war on the Korean Peninsula. This topic was discussed on September 3 by the leaders of Russia and China. They met in the Chinese city of Xiamen ahead of the BRICS summit.

“There was a discussion of the situation on the Korean Peninsula in light of the DPRK’s hydrogen bomb test. Both Putin and Xi Jinping expressed deep concern about this situation, they noted the importance of preventing chaos on the Korean Peninsula, the importance of all parties showing restraint and focusing on finding a solution only through political and diplomatic means,” said Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov .

No matter what Kim Jong-un is, no matter how he behaves, no matter what we think about him, negotiations and the search for a compromise are still better than war, especially since the interested parties have enough tools to put pressure on North Korea.

“Today, September 3, at 12 o’clock, North Korean scientists successfully tested a hydrogen warhead at the northern test site, designed to equip intercontinental ballistic missiles,” said a North Korean television announcer.

According to South Korean experts, the power of the bomb exploded in North Korea could reach 100 kilotons, which is about six Hiroshimas. The explosion was accompanied by an earthquake 10 times stronger than what happened last year when Pyongyang conducted its previous nuclear test. The echoes of this earthquake, which is now clearly man-made, were felt far beyond the borders of the DPRK. Even before Pyongyang’s official statement, seismologists in Vladivostok already guessed what had happened. “The coordinates coincide with the nuclear test site,” notes the seismologist.

“In terms of distance, it is approximately 250-300 kilometers from Vladivostok. At the epicenter of the earthquake itself, in all likelihood, the magnitude was about seven. On the border of Primorye it is somewhere around five points. In Vladivostok, no more than two or three points,” said seismologist on duty Amed Saiduloev.

Pyongyang confirmed the test report with a photo report on the development of a compact hydrogen warhead. It is alleged that the DPRK has enough of its own resources produced in the country to create such warheads. Kim Jong-un was personally present during the installation of the warhead on the missile. Pyongyang sees nuclear weapons as the only guarantee of the country's existence. For more than half a century, North Korea has legally remained in a state of temporarily suspended war, without any guarantee of its non-resumption. That is why any attempts to force North Korea to abandon its nuclear program have only accelerated it so far.

“The fragile armistice agreement of 1953, which still governs relations between the United States and the DPRK, is an anachronism, it does not fulfill its functions, it does not contribute and cannot somehow ensure security and stability on the Korean Peninsula; it needs to be replaced a long time ago,” emphasizes Alexander Vorontsov, head of the department of Korea and Mongolia at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

China and Russia have been insisting for years that there is no prospect of continuing pressure on Pyongyang and the need to start direct negotiations. Moreover, Washington is being offered a real opportunity to solve the problem: not even a suspension, but just a reduction in the scale of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea in exchange for Pyongyang freezing its nuclear missile tests.

“We also spoke with John Kerry. They told us the same thing that the Trump administration is now repeating: this is an unequal proposal, because launches and nuclear tests in North Korea are prohibited by the Security Council, and military exercises are an absolutely legitimate thing. But to this we answer: yes, if we rely on such legalistic logic, of course, no one accuses you of violating international law. But if it comes to war, then the first step must be taken by the one who is smarter and stronger. And there can be no doubt who in this pair has such qualities. Although, who knows...,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

So, the Americans are pressing harshly and senselessly, the Koreans are responding with their teeth between their teeth, and it is proposed to us and China to cut this vicious circle. Otherwise - war!

“North Korea's provocative behavior could lead to the US intercepting their missiles - shooting them down both in the air and on the ground before launch, what we call a hot launch. There are both military methods of solution and diplomatic methods - economic pressure, tightening sanctions. There is, after all, the decisive role of China and the influence of Russia in the region, they can put pressure on North Korea,” says retired US Army General Paul Valley.

At the same time, today it is absolutely clear that neither Beijing, nor even more so Moscow, will be able to bring Pyongyang to reason without removing the main threat, and it comes from the United States, which is refusing our proposals to sit down with the Koreans at the negotiating table. At the same time, Trump deliberately continues to escalate the situation. In the context of the beginning economic war with China, it is beneficial for Americans to keep Beijing in constant tension in the position of the culprit, knowing that the key to solving the problem lies with them - in Washington. However, this cannot continue indefinitely. After all, Korean missiles fly further and further each time. Thus, on the one hand, increasing the risk of a fatal accident, on the other, pushing Trump to carry out his threats, which is completely impossible.

“China has a mutual defense treaty with North Korea. Thus, Trump does not have any way of influencing North Korea militarily, he can neither attack nor use military force, so all this is like an empty shock of the air,” says Pyotr Akopov, deputy editor-in-chief of the Vzglyad.ru portal.

Today's explosion is evidence that for the first time in the last quarter century the United States is faced with a situation where there is no alternative to negotiations. Sooner or later, they will have to agree to the scheme proposed by Moscow and Beijing - the cessation of military exercises and guarantees of non-aggression in exchange for freezing Pyongyang's nuclear missile program. The Americans, of course, will not remove their troops from South Korea, and North Korea will remain with its several nuclear warheads, just in case.

We will see how this will be arranged in the near future. However, the latest unexpected statement by the President of Kazakhstan about the need to legalize the nuclear status of states that actually possess nuclear weapons, and the subsequent invitation to Nazarbayev to Washington, may not be accidental.

Collage of the “Parliamentary newspaper”