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Report: N. Korea takes nuclear step(krypton 85 detected!)
NBC Nightly News via MSNBC ^ | 07/11/03 | Jim Miklaszewski

Posted on 07/12/2003 2:46:07 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

Report: N. Korea takes nuclear step

U.S. intelligence: Evidence suggests Pyongyang is reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods

July 11 — Air samples collected near North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility contain the first physical evidence that North Korea has begun reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods. NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski reports.

July 11 — North Korea has begun to reprocess spent nuclear fuel rods — a critical step to produce more nuclear weapons — an intelligence report delivered to the White House on Thursday suggests, NBC News has learned.

U.S. GOVERNMENT officials tell NBC News that air samples collected from the vicinity of North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear facility and tested this week, contained traces of krypton 85 — a byproduct of reprocessing nuclear fuel rods to produce weapons-grade plutonium. It is the first physical evidence that North Korea has begun the reprocessing.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Japan; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: fuelrods; krypton85; nkorea; plutonium; reprocessing
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I think that this means they crossed the red line!
1 posted on 07/12/2003 2:46:07 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
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2 posted on 07/12/2003 2:48:40 AM PDT by Support Free Republic (Your support keeps Free Republic going strong!)
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To: TigerLikesRooster; All
-The Atomic Genie- what we know about North Korea's Nuclear program--
3 posted on 07/12/2003 2:50:20 AM PDT by backhoe (A nuke for every Kook ( NK, Iraq, Iran, Pak, India... )- what a Clinton "legacy...")
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To: TigerLikesRooster
krypton 85 detected!

Someone better warn Superman.

4 posted on 07/12/2003 2:58:23 AM PDT by kcordell
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To: kcordell
Jimmy, Quick tell Miss Lane.... She has a thing for "Super Men."

Come to thinkg about it don't you too, Jimmy

5 posted on 07/12/2003 5:00:52 AM PDT by Quick Shot
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To: Amelia; Steel Wolf; AmericanInTokyo; OahuBreeze; Travis McGee
Ping!
6 posted on 07/12/2003 5:09:24 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
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To: TigerLikesRooster
I think that this means they crossed the red line!

Hai! Aka sen wo honkakuteki ni, koemashita!

7 posted on 07/12/2003 5:47:46 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo (Folks, I am NOT in Tokyo right now. So don't worry about me being nuked by N. Korea. OK? Thanks.)
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...in other words: yes.
8 posted on 07/12/2003 6:07:26 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo (Folks, I am NOT in Tokyo right now. So don't worry about me being nuked by N. Korea. OK? Thanks.)
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To: TigerLikesRooster
I think that this means they crossed the red line

I look for this to explode in about 3-9 months. Recent news accounts show: Australia just announced they would go to war (if need be) with NK over their Nuclear Proliferation. South Korea just announced NK had conducted tests of their nuclear weapons(not full blown detonaton tests, but conventional explosives tests on the shell of the weapon). 11 Nations just announced their intention to " quarantine" NK to prevent proliferation. US Intel sources just stated NK ( along with China) has been working to help Iran acieve nuclear weapons.

Its coming

9 posted on 07/12/2003 6:12:02 AM PDT by judicial meanz
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To: TigerLikesRooster
I think you're right. Furthermore I think that the US must eventually conduct a direct attack on a nuclear power such as NK. We can no longer afford to allow countries to hide behind the nuclear deterrent if they're all going to have it. It has become clear that nuclear technology is available and proliferating to the point where every tin-pot-dictator on the earth is going to wind up with the stuff one way or the other. Our mortal enemies will help them along the way. There appear to be new arms races developing in the Middle East, Far East and sooner or later the African thugs will join the game too.

The public will never be behind it. The world community will never be behind it. But if we allow tactical nuclear powers to become strategic (ICBM's with huge warheads) nuclear powers then we are doomed to live under the extortion and tyranny of those who are sworn to our destruction. The Soviets and the Chinese at least had the chivalry not to conduct covert attacks, a.k.a terrorist activity, directly on American soil. We can no longer be confident that our enemies will be so restrained. The Islamic nazi's would be perfectly content to turn the globe into another Beirut and then let Allah sort it all out.

We must put an end to this concept that possession of nuclear weapons gives a country free reign and immunity from "prosecution". Only this will remove the incentive to obtain these weapons. The idiotic Kim Jong Il's of the world think they can deter us just like the Soviets and Chinese simply by having nukes. Deter us from what? They are building defensive bases from which to conduct covert attacks against us. I believe that use of nukes against the US is inevitable at this point. We will not avoid being attacked by watching idly as nuclear technology proliferates. The longer we wait the worse its going to get.
10 posted on 07/12/2003 6:27:45 AM PDT by cdrw
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To: judicial meanz
It is probably on the fast track. My prediction last summer was that by this summer the DPRK would be churning out one nuke a month. I may be off by 2-3 months and this capability will transpire from the Fall. Howevever, at any rate, by this Fall North Korea will most likely be chortling out 1 nuke per month in production (unacceptable), and we will WELL be over the famed ***RED LINE*** by that time.

Notice all the U.S. Democrats who were very visible on North Korea in Dec., Jan., Feb., March are now mysteriously SILENT?

Cabinet Minister Abe in Tokyo today said they had NOT gone over the Red Line...but this is clearly diplo-speak and they are nervously trying to buy time and coordinate and get their ducks in a line.

11 posted on 07/12/2003 6:32:03 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo (Folks, I am NOT in Tokyo right now. So don't worry about me being nuked by N. Korea. OK? Thanks.)
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To: backhoe
The air samples, normally collected by surveillance planes, were gathered in a new top-secret procedure that U.S. officials refused to reveal.

~sNip~ TINY WARHEAD?

U.S. intelligence reports show North Korea has also been conducting rigorous tests with conventional explosives, apparently testing designs for a new variety of nuclear warheads. And it’s feared North Korea may have obtained designs from Pakistan for a new nuclear warhead small enough to fit in a foot locker.

“It could fit in any kind of container that could easily be smuggled into the United States,” Cirincione said.

The Bush administration was already considering aggressive new economic sanctions and partial naval blockades against North Korea — plans which may now have to be accelerated.

12 posted on 07/12/2003 6:32:15 AM PDT by happygrl
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To: cdrw
Great commentary!
13 posted on 07/12/2003 6:36:23 AM PDT by happygrl
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To: happygrl
My guess is that some kind of high speed predator type drone, able to somehow escape their AD network, passed over the site(s) in question and encountered/retrieved the airsamples with an adhesive, or some intake and capture chamber, and then turned and came back out to the Yellow Sea for recovery. Very fascinating. Or, it may be disinformation (on the methodology of recovery of the Krypton at least) and the US used a human source on the ground from the ranks of its services or perhaps South Korea's NIS, or elements of the NIS, or whatever.
14 posted on 07/12/2003 6:38:43 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo (Folks, I am NOT in Tokyo right now. So don't worry about me being nuked by N. Korea. OK? Thanks.)
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To: happygrl
Thanks - and BTW I DO NOT think we should use nukes in our attacks. We don't need them and we would simply advance the cause of our proliferating enemies.
15 posted on 07/12/2003 6:41:46 AM PDT by cdrw
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To: TigerLikesRooster
They crossed it in 1989, see http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/gao/nsi97008.htm. I don't think replacing the IAEA with a policy based on long range bombing is a useful solution. It might work once or twice but it won't have nearly the long term success that the IAEA has had despite the failures in NK.
16 posted on 07/12/2003 6:46:28 AM PDT by palmer (Lazamataz for Supreme Ruler!)
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To: cdrw
Well put. I don't know what the answer is but I can foresee US military action against North Korea AND Iran to stop their nuclear programs. If the US doesn't act against Iran, Israel might do so on its own.

Paranoia and nuclear arms (see hussein in Iraq, the Iranian mullahs, the Jongs in North Korea) are a deadly mix, for us.

17 posted on 07/12/2003 6:46:35 AM PDT by Former Proud Canadian
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To: happygrl
Thanks for the info... I happened to agree with cdrw's commentary in 10... I have a little, rather dated info on:

Tiny Nukes-- the backpack threat

18 posted on 07/12/2003 6:49:51 AM PDT by backhoe (Do NOT read this banner! Under Penalty of Law!)
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Comment #19 Removed by Moderator

To: cdrw
I DO NOT think we should use nukes in our attacks.

Thanks for clarifying that. We don't need the fallout (sorry about the pun).

20 posted on 07/12/2003 7:18:51 AM PDT by happygrl
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