N. Korean Newspaper Repeats the Claim of "Successful of Nuclear Fusion"

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 05/15/10

[TigerLikesRooster]

/begin my summary

N. Korean Newspaper Repeats the Claim of "Successful Nuclear Fusion" with Added Details of Technical Difficulty

2010.05.15 11:51

N. Korea repeated its claims that it successfully achieved nuclear fusion with indigenous technology.

In a May 15th article titled 'Nuclear Fusion for Developing Future Energy (source),' N. Korea's (official daily) Rodong Shinmun claimed, "Despite vicious sanction and pressure, we successfully achieved nuclear fusion process for new energy with our own unique way. It is a feat we should be proud of," accompanied by detailed report on the principles of nuclear fusion and its technical difficulty.

/end my summary

[TigerLikesRooster]

This does not impress anybody, except China, who has been trying hard to revive 6-party talks, and show others that they are in charge of the regional situation. Instead of hinting that they are backing down a bit(at least nominally,) N. Korea ups the ante by claiming the success of nuclear fusion. This is a loss of face for China. Of course, China may not do anything about it in the end. Chia Head is probably pressuring China to unload more free food aids. Already there is some report that China sent fertilizers in time for NK's crop planting season.

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[LukeL]

So North Korea is the first nation in the world to have successfully fused hydrogen into helium under controlled circumstances?

[Bean Counter]

I would like to point out that there is considerable difference between nuclear “fission” and nuclear “fusion”. To my knowledge nobody in the world had succeeded in creating a sustained fusion reaction outside of a multi-stage thermonuclear weapon, and a “cold fusion” reactor has been the holy grail of nuclear physicists for decades. The chances that NoKo has figured this out are somewhere between slim and none.

This is nonsense coming out of NoKo once again, and if they really had figured out “fusion” their whole country would not be blacked out at night.

[TigerLikesRooster]

This is a pure political ploy, nothing more.

[Bean Counter]

I know it is, but really, who do they think they are kidding??

[doc1019]

This is a pure political ploy, nothing more.

We hope.

[FredZarguna]

Fearing someone, somewhere on Earth might believe them sane, the NoKoreans yet again fill their semi-annual crazy quota.

[HardStarboard]

The developed world has spent fortunes attempting a controlled nuclear fusion - net power producting - reaction
over the past 30 years.

Tokamaks and magnetic containment bottles have all shown some promise - but not any have had an power output greater than that needed to get reaction started.

Perhaps DPRK has stumbled on a way to make scientists more productive by starving them!??

[FredZarguna]

Yep.

I sure hope they open an Intrade Market on this! I'm going to leverage the $10 million I'm getting from the former minister in the Democratic Republic of the Congo into like, a $billion.

[TigerLikesRooster]

The guy is easily outdoing any fiction cooked up by Hollywood. They should be more imaginative to get ahead of him.

[steve86]

Well, it depends what you mean by sustained. In nuclear time, a half second is a long time, and that is about how long the fusion reaction has run at JET (Europe). This is much longer than a fusion weapon lasts!

[FredZarguna]

Try 55 years.

At a seminar at Cal Tech in 1980 Dr. Edward Teller -- one of three people to have actually created nuclear fusion independently, and then only violently -- was asked how far off peaceful nuclear fusion was. He looked around the room and said, "It may happen within the lifetimes of a few of the people in this room." I was a 26 year-old grad student (and one of the youngest people) in the audience.

It isn't happening soon, and it isn't happening in NoKorea.

[DesertRhino]

Well shoot, we did fusion in the 1950s. Flattened an Atoll.

[DesertRhino]

“Fearing someone, somewhere on Earth might believe them sane, the NoKoreans yet again fill their semi-annual crazy quota.”

Snicker

[FredZarguna]

Yeah, but a thermonuclear weapon produces net energy. JET doesn’t.

[tanuki]

So when’s the warp drive coming?

[TigerLikesRooster]

When they run out of food again.

[Bernard Marx]

Has anyone seen Fleischman and Pons lately?

[sjmjax]

High place sources have revealed that Kim Jong-il personally succeeded in producing a sustained nuclear fusion reaction using only materials and appliances found in a typical North Korean kitchen.

Kim Jong-il announced that North Korean will soon be a major exporter of cheap, abundant, renewable "green" energy to all non-capitalist countries of the world.

Afterwards for celebration and relaxation played 18 holes of golf where he once again shot 18 consecutive "holes in one". for a perfect score. He then invited Barak Obama, Tiger Woods and O.J. Simpson to join him in a foresome.

AP - North Korean Office....