NBC: North Korean nuclear test could happen as early as Tuesday night

MSNBC ^

[Perdogg]

North Korea could carry out an underground test of a nuclear weapon as early as Tuesday night as the North's reclusive leadership dramatically tries to up the stakes with the U.S. and the West, U.S. officials told NBC News.

U.S. officials say North Korea may already have an arsenal between 12 and a "few dozen" far more advanced weapons, many more than generally believed.

[Drill Thrawl]

Advanced press release phote found!

[Drill Thrawl]

Complete arsenal also found.

[freeangel]

Maybe we could get lucky and they’ll blow themselves up real good!

[mylife]

[Michael Barnes]

NBC: North Korean nuclear test could happen as early as Tuesday night

So? Like Obama is going to do anything....or nato...or the un...

Is there a betting pool yet on how much this administration is going to give those f'ing commies Wed. morning?

[goseminoles]

Excuse my ignorance, but I don’t know why they test underground??

[mkjessup]

1962 Test Ban Treaty.

[goseminoles]

What damage does an underground test cause??

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

It takes care of any gopher problems you might have.

[Drill Thrawl]

Keeps the nuke from spreading fallout all about the place.

Also with a properly engineered hole, you can hide the size of the device.

[goseminoles]

I see a caddyshack picture coming..

[Michael Barnes]

bwahahaha.....first good laugh of the day...

thanks....

[muawiyah]

Little by little the North Koreans reveal they have an intact stash of about a dozen Japanese made thermonuclear devices of some sort.

Although the theory the japanese program was working on probably wouldn't lead to a really serious atom bomb, it could lead to the development of a serious trigger which could also serve as a "tactical nuke".

My prediction ~ a less than 1 kiloton explosion ~ just like the earlier ones. Again, it can be used as a trigger and they may have improved its performance.

Try reading this piece on recent discoveries with electrons ~ then think about what a 'fizzle bomb' accessing this process might do; http://phys.org/news/2012-04-electrons.html

[The Antiyuppie]

I hear a severe scolding coming from the UN and Obama soon. I hope the new guy is braced for it.... HA HA

[freebird5850]

“phote”!...gotta put that one in the FR library along with hugh and series!

[TheRobb7]

“Also with a properly engineered hole, you can hide the size of the device. “

...you just summed up my bachelor days in one sentence.

[Lurker]

You seriously believe the Japanese gave nukes to the Norks?

[mkjessup]

[Tijeras_Slim]

Yes, and no.

Not that they’re going to pop anything major.

[GregB]

I miss John Candy.

[mkjessup]

You seriously believe the Japanese gave nukes to the Norks?

In three words: NO EFFIN WAY!

Here is why:

First of all, the Japanese government would have to totally take leave of their senses to provide such technology to a rogue state, it would be like the U.S. Government to one day wake up and decide that selling some small tactical nukes to Fidel Castro wasn't a big deal. It ain't happenin'.

Second, the North Koreans would absolutely REFUSE to accept such technology from Japan, based on the historic and long standing antipathy between Tokyo and the Korean people. For those just tuning in, among Japan's many war crimes of World War II, are the crimes committed against Korea, and there is no way the Koreans are going to forget THAT.

Third, IF such a transfer of technology had taken place, you can be sure that the United States would have known about it at some point in the past and would have taken the 'appropriate steps' which would NOT have been pretty.

Uh uh, that dog definitely won't hunt.

[muawiyah]

Depends on your time frame. Back during WWII the Japanese government had a bit of a nuclear development program going on. They had facilities in Korea.

Due to a number of koinkydinks they ended up losing all but a couple of the people involved in their program.

Would modern Japanese use the NORKS to build nukes for them? I really don't know ~ do you know for sure?

[Stevenc131]

A severe scolding from Obama, and the UN will appoint a “Special Rapporteur” to assess the situation and issue a strongly worded report a year or two down the road.

[muawiyah]

BTW, the Japanese committed their crimes against the Koreans back before WWI even!~ From that point on they were more in the business of turning Koreans into Japanese ~ they used Koreans almost exclusively as their guards over POWS and other foreign nationals.

[mkjessup]

I got a C-note that says there is NO Japanese collaboration, assistance, or cooperative effort of any kind with Pyongyang in the area of developing any sort of nuclear weapons technology.

And I’ll give two to one odds to anybody looking for some action.

[Lurker]

I know for sure. If the Japanese decided to build nukes today they’d have the first operational model delivered on Monday. The Hello Kitty version would be on the shelf the following Friday.

Japan is in possession of more plutonium than any nation on Earth. The only thing stopping them from building nukes is their politicians. If that damn breaks Japan will be the most nuclear armed nation on the planet.

And if they decided to use them they’d happily reduce the Norks to ashes over the weekend.

[muawiyah]

PRIOR to the end of WWII there was a whole lotta' Japanese collaboration, assistance, cooperative and slave camp relationships with people in Korea.

What makes you think the Japanese gathered up all their peeps and their special equipment to return to Japan?

Are there people in Japan who do not to this day agree with the outcome of WWII? Do they believe in irredentism?

[Carl LaFong]

I miss Billy Sol Hurok as well.

[Newbomb Turk]

Or could be as late as a year from tuesday too...what reporting.

Hoping for a workplace accident like their no dong two rocket launch !

[muawiyah]

More likely the Japanese would come up with the "MOTHER TONGUE" deal again and convert them to the Japanese point of view.

Recall that japan had earlier industrialized Manchuria and North Korea specifically for the purpose of keeping the HOME ISLANDS pristine and free of industrial grime and grit.

As they've done so many times in the past the Japanese can flip the switch from scholars and merchants to warriors and conquerers. You have been privileged to live during one of their scholarly manifestations.

[Diogenesis]

[mkjessup]

...If the Japanese decided to build nukes today they’d have the first operational model delivered on Monday. The Hello Kitty version would be on the shelf the following Friday.

Bet the rent on that:

[QT3.14]

-- I hear a severe scolding coming from the UN and Obama soon. I hope the new guy is braced for it

From ZerObama:

Kim this is your final warning!

We have stockpiled mountains of harsh words.

The State Department flacks are poised to invade the chambers
of the UN at a moment’s notice and beg for a weak sanction.

Our forces of mild rebuke are at a hair trigger status.

We could have a whole flotilla of ships steaming at full throttle
to your ports to deliver proper rewards for bad behavior".

Brandishing a pen) “Don’t make me use this!!!”

[mkjessup]

Ok, just for you my FRiend, I will offer FOUR-to-1 odds on my original wager in my post #26.

[muawiyah]

Not sure what you were talking about.

You no doubt know that japan only recently agreed to give Korean citizens living there Japanese citizenship ~ there are several hundred thousand of them ~ mostly with North Korean ties.

But the equipment I was referring to was simply left behind in storage in what became North Korea. That's 67 years ago.

[mkjessup]

I just got your FReepmail, and you have one in return! :)

[arderkrag]

Sources say they expect the weapons to test as well as the North Korean rocket.

[Lurker]

Love your homepage.

[GeronL]

After the failed missile launch this is an attempt at compensation

[mylife]

We all do.

[GeronL]

NK is a client state of China more than anything

[gogogodzilla]

It’ll destroy the capital city of the Mole Men of Mongo colony.

BEWARE!!!

Ming the Merciless will not be pleased. Our only hope will be to pre-emptively surrender to General Zod and hope that he will defend planet Houston from Ming’s minions.

:-P

[muawiyah]

Korea is a troublesome client state ~

[Cable225]

If this goes as well as their rocket test, these guys might not be a problem for much longer.

[muawiyah]

If they are actually working with something outside the usual standards we expect with nuclear energy they might end up zapping their whole part of the world ~

[Husker24]

They must still be loading the ammonium nitrate, that we probably sent them.

[driftdiver]

“they used Koreans almost exclusively as their guards over POWS and other foreign nationals.”

not exactly accurate. They used Japanese in many areas. In Korea they forced Koreans to do it.

I spoke with one older gentleman who was made a supervisor over a work crew. The Japanese had just shot the old supervisor. They initially assigned it to another man, who refused it. After he was also shot the man I spoke with accepted the ‘promotion’.

[muawiyah]

I know folks who were civilian captives in Java ~ their guards were all KOREAN. Most of the rifle toters on the Bataan death march were Koreans.

Koreans were tough guys.

[GonzoGOP]

The plan is to initiate nuclear fission using Pop Rocks and Soda