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Coming Soon: Deal With North Korea ... or 2nd Nuclear Test? Officials See Signs of Upcoming Nuclear Test, Other Odd Moves -- but Also of Nuke Deal By JONATHAN KARL and KIRIT RADIA Oct. 9, 2008 — Amid indications the United States is on the verge of a major agreement with North Korea that would take the Asian nation off a list of state sponsors of terror, U.S. intelligence has picked up signs that North Korea may be preparing for another nuclear test, sources say. Satellite imagery over the past two weeks has picked up suspicious activity at a suspected...

/begin my translation N. Korea: Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site Being Restored Smoke detected at various locations around the nuclear test site There are indications that N. Korea is restoring the nuclear test site at Punggye-ri, Kilju, where they conducted the test two years ago, prompting intelligence authorities to pay close watch on the development. A government source said on Oct. 1, "We recently detected smoke coming out of various locations around Punggye-ri nuclear test site. We are closely monitoring to determine if N. Korea is trying to restore the test site." He said, "Specifically, we suspect that the smoke we...

Pro-N. Korea paper: Nuclear tension could spike By JAE-SOON CHANG, Associated Press Writer Wednesday, August 27, 2008 (08-27) 05:21 PDT SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea's threat to restore its nuclear facilities should not be seen as "empty talk" and the standoff could develop into a crisis similar to the country's first atomic test, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper said Wednesday.

â—† N. Korea says used 2 kg of plutonium in 2006 nuke test: source SEOUL, June 28 KYODO North Korea's declaration of its nuclear programs that it submitted this week states that it extracted a total of around 30 kilograms of plutonium and used 2 kg in the nuclear test it conducted in October 2006, a six-party talks source said Saturday. A nuclear weapon normally requires between 4 and 8 kg of plutonium. There is speculation that North Korea may have declared a smaller quantity to counter rumors that the 2006 nuclear test, which resulted in a relatively small explosion,...

N. Korea marks nuclear test anniversary By JAE-SOON CHANG, Associated Press Writer 11 minutes ago North Korea marked the first anniversary of its nuclear test on Tuesday, with leader Kim Jong Il getting praise for pulling off a "truly great miracle" that sent the reclusive communist country "soaring as a powerful and great" nation. The Oct. 9, 2006, test marked a peak in international concern over the country's nuclear status and prompted the U.S. to soften its policy toward North Korea, paving the way for steps toward a goal of dismantling the Asian country's program. The North's main Rodong Sinmun...

North Korea Prepping Nuclear Weapons Test Defense Officials Tell ABC News 'They've Put Everything in Place' By JONATHAN KARL WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2007 — - North Korea appears to have made preparations for another nuclear test, according to U.S. defense officials. "We think they've put everything in place to conduct a test without any notice or warning," a senior U.S. defense official told ABC News. The official cautions that the intelligence is inconclusive as to whether North Korea will actually go ahead with another test but said the preparations are similar to the steps taken by Pyongyang before it shocked...

/begin my translation N. Korea: Another Nuclear Test Likely in Late Dec. or Early Next Year (SK opposition lawmaker) Kim Jong-il's internal directive, "Act Confidently at 6-party talks as a nuclear power." [2006-11-29 11:34 ] There are reportedly indications that N. Korea would go for another nuclear test in late December or early next year. Chung Hyung-geun, an opposition lawmaker at Intelligence Committee of National Assembly, maintained on Nov. 29, "Various indications have been picked up which show that, if U.S. does not agree to lift economic sanctions, including unfreezing of (N. Korean) accounts at Banco Delta Asia, N. Korea...

North Korea is expected to conduct a second nuclear weapons test, said General B. B. Bell, head of US forces in South Korea. 'I think we can expect further tests as part of its program to develop very provocative weapons,' Bell told a press conference.

N. Korea beefs up counterintelligence following nuclear test SHENYANG, China, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has toughened surveillance of locals suspected of gathering information about its atomic and military activities in the wake of its Oct. 9 atomic bomb test, an informed source said Sunday. The Ministry of People's Security, Pyongyang's top police agency, issued a directive to its security agencies on Oct. 15 that they should closely monitor and report suspicious activities, the source said. Those subject to stronger surveillance include former North Korean defectors, former convicts, smugglers, merchants and those who have relatives in China, the source...

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U.S. to Take Separate Sanctions Against N.Korea U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday the U.S. will take its own sanctions against North Korea independent of the UN Security Council resolution condemning the North’s nuclear test. Speaking at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, Rice stressed that the implementation of the U.N. resolution is a responsibility of all U.N. member countries. But she added, “As for our part, the United States is now obligated to adopt additional sanctions on North Korea under national legislation.” This includes the Glenn Amendment to the Arms Export Control Act initiated by Senator John Glenn...

Motel Bookings, Condom Sales Surge Post Nuke Test As tends to be the case in disasters and crises, sales of condoms and reservations at motels surged in the wake of North Korea’s nuclear test on Oct. 9. One online hotel reservations site reports that everything is completely booked up through the end of the month in what it calls an “exceptional” flood of guests. If there is apathy about security among Koreans, there is also a silent terror seeking release in sex. On Oct. 9-15, the average daily sales of condoms across all Family Mart convenience stores was 1,930, a...

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Condom sales and pay-by-the-hour "love motel" bookings surged across South Korea in the aftermath of North Korea's nuclear test, the country's top newspaper reported Thursday. South Koreans are used to living in the shadow of war, and life has continued as normal in the capital, Seoul, in the wake of the Oct. 9 test. But figures published by the mass-circulation Chosun Ilbo newspaper Thursday suggest that despite their apparently blase reaction to the North's nuclear bluster, many South Koreans may be seeking solace in sex. Condom sales at a leading chain of convenience stores rose...

North Korea tell South sanctions could mean war SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- North Korea warned South Korea on Wednesday against joining U.S.-led sanctions against Pyongyang and said it would take action after any such move by Seoul. South Korea's participation in sanctions would be seen as a serious provocation leading to a "crisis of war" on the Korean peninsula, a North Korean spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency. The North issued a similar warning in September shortly before it conducted a nuclear test,...

Reports of N.Korea apology inaccurate -China Tue Oct 24, 2006 8:41 AM BST BEIJING (Reuters) - Reports that North Korea had apologised for conducting a nuclear test were "inaccurate", China said on Tuesday, adding there was no guarantee the reclusive state would not test again. The remarks from Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao were China's first official reaction to media reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il told a visiting Chinese envoy that Pyongyang regretted the difficulties its October 9 nuclear test had caused its neighbour and did not plan another test. "These reports are inaccurate. I haven't heard of...

China's Reaction: Tightening the Screws Would Beijing dump Kim? It's certainly not likely, but ... By Melinda Liu Newsweek International Oct. 30, 2006 issue - Once upon a time Beijing officials and scholars would have scoffed at the idea of effecting Chinese-style regime change in Pyongyang. But in the wake of Kim's nuke test, an unprecedented debate has broken out over Beijing's North Korea policies. Last Friday four major Chinese banks stopped making financial transfers to North Korea—a tactic that could quickly pinch a weak economy that relies on China as a link to the international financial system. And this...

Rice says N.Korea trying to escalate nuclear crisis By Sue Pleming 1 hour, 30 minutes ago U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cast doubt on reports that North Korea had pledged not to stage another nuclear test, saying on Saturday it seemed instead bent on escalating the crisis. News reports had raised hopes that tension was easing on Friday by saying North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had told China's special envoy Tang Jiaxuan this week he planned no further nuclear tests. But Rice met Tang in Beijing on Friday and later told reporters traveling on to Moscow with her: "Tang...

Rice plays down Kim's test 'pledge'From correspondents in Moscow October 21, 2006 07:07pm US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has cast doubt on a reported apology by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il for carrying out a nuclear test and a pledge not to carry out more. "I don't know whether or not Kim Jong-Il said any such thing," Dr Rice has said on a flight from Beijing to Moscow, where she is continuing her talks with nations involved in the stalled six-way talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program. "But the Chinese, in a fairly thorough briefing about the talks, said nothing...

N. Korea's vice FM doesn't rule out possible 2nd nuke test: ABC News NEW YORK, Oct. 20 KYODO North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan did not rule out the possibility of his country performing a second nuclear test, ABC News reported Friday. In an interview with the U.S. television network in Pyongyang on Friday, Kim was quoted as saying, ''I think you can closely watch what happens.'' Kim is North Korea's chief negotiator at the six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program. When ABC's anchor said, ''I don't think that's an answer,'' Kim replied, ''I think that's a good...

N. Korea Staged a Mass Rally Celebrating Nuclear Test On Oct. 20, 11 days after their nuclear test, N. Korea staged a mass rally in Pyongyang celebrating the test. To view the video, click on the picture below(1min 37 sec long; intro runs for about 20 sec).

China May Press North Koreans Stephen Shaver/Bloomberg NewsEmpty Chinese trucks waited Thursday to enter North Korea, while North Korean trucks filled with iron ore made their way into northern China. By JOSEPH KAHN Published: October 20, 2006 BEIJING, Oct. 19 -- China is prepared to step up pressure on North Korea in coming weeks by reducing oil shipments, among other measures, if the country refuses to return to negotiations or conducts more nuclear tests, Chinese government advisers and scholars who have discussed the matter with the leadership say. If Beijing does take a tougher line on its neighbor and longtime...

This is the news clip from YTN, S. Korea's cable news channel. Except the intro and the end, the rest shows the torch rally, a defacto celebration of their nuclear test, even though it is officially celebrating the anniversary of the establishment of the anti-Imperialist Union. Click Here for Video

China stepped up its diplomatic efforts with North Korea on Thursday, sending a personal message and a gift from the Chinese president to the North's leader Kim Jong Il as Washington appealed for cooperation by Asian powers on U.N. sanctions for Pyongyang's nuclear test. The trip by State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan was the highest-level Chinese visit to its isolated ally since its Oct. 9 atomic test. The visit came as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stopped in South Korea and Japan as part of a tour of Asia to solidify support for the U.N. sanctions amid reports of a possible...

Dear Readers, I thought I would share the following letter I received from Squid who is now living in North Korea and calling himself "Jimmy Jong-il:" October 14, 2006 Democratic Peoples Republic Of Korea (DPRK) Dear Imperialist Lackey Moonbeam, I just wanted to send this letter to tell you I'm well. Actually not just well, but flourishing in this worker's paradise! The progressiveness our Dear Leader Kim Jong-il has brought to this utopia is simply awe-inspiring. It's everything we have worked toward in the U.S. but have failed to accomplish. In this country there are no divisions between people as...

North Korea has informed China that it is prepared to conduct "as many as three additional tests" following the first nuclear experiment Oct. 9, CNN television reported Wednesday. Quoting U.S. intelligence analysts and officials, CNN and Fox News said U.S. spy satellites have detected activities which could be preparations for nuclear explosion tests at three North Korean sites. CNN also said that latest U.S. intelligence show that North Korea's missile sites remain at a "very high state of readiness," and Pyongyang could use them "in the next several days." On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the North Korean military has...

Within a day of North Korea's underground nuclear test,a "string" of earthquakes began: Japan,Hawaii,New Guinea/New Zealand,Kuril Islands. Is this mere coincidence, or did the test "trigger" an unexpected tectonic reaction ?

Full Text: North Korea statement The following is the full text of a statement released by the foreign ministry of North Korea, which calls itself the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK): On 14 October, the United States instigated the UN Security Council to unjustly find fault with our self-defensive nuclear test as a threat to international peace and safety, and once again passed the vicious resolution on sanctions and blockade against the Republic. Our successful nuclear test is a positive defensive countermeasure to defend our country's sovereignty and the people's life and safety so as to cope with the...

'Bush to blame for NKorea crisis' Monday October 16, 2006 11:51 - (SA) TOKYO - Billionaire philanthropist George Soros has pointed the finger at US President George W. Bush for the North Korea crisis, saying his hard line had led to the communist state's nuclear test. Soros, a Hungarian-born US financier who has used his fortune to promote democracy and human rights worldwide, said he supported former South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung's "sunshine" policy of trying to engage Pyongyang. "I was a a great supporter of Kim Dae-Jung's sunshine policy. President Bush rejected that policy," Soros told a news conference...

Gold within sight of $600 on North Korea tensions PrintE-mailDisable live quotesRSSDigg itDel.icio.usBy Ciara Linnane, MarketWatch Last Update: 9:05 AM ET Oct 16, 2006 NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Gold futures rose early Monday and came within close range of $600 an ounce, supported by the latest developments related to North Korea and its nuclear activities and a weaker dollar. Gold for December delivery was last up $5.30 at $598 an ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. "Gold has found further support overnight following the U.N.'s decision to impose sanctions against North Korea," said James Moore, analyst at TheBullionDesk.com. "The...

/begin my excerpt N. Korean Nuclear Test: China Duped (Asia Weekly) /snip Beijing Duped by Pyongyang = A high-ranking Chinese official confessed, "We could not find out whether N. Korea possessed nuclear weapons, nor how far N. Korean nuclear development progressed." Such information have to be obtained through intelligence network inside N. Korea, but a few years ago, a man in charge of State Security Bureau in Yanji City was bribed with $300,000 by N. Korean intelligence, and China's intelligence network inside N. Korea was wiped out overnight (due to information N. Koreans got from him in return.) Since then,...

/begin my translation Bolton Blew Up After N. Korean Amb. Rejected Resolution & Walked Out N. Korean Ambassador to UN, Park Kil-yon, walks out after the resolution(against N. Korea) is adopted On the morning of Oct. 15(S. Korean time), UN Security Council was convened and ambassadors of member nations declared N. Korean nuclear test as a threat to international community. As soon as they unanimously approved the resolution for sanction against N. Korea, N. Korean Ambassador to UN, Park Kil-yon, announced N. Korea's view and walked out of the meeting 10/15/06 (UN Headquarter = Yonhap News) Bolton demanded to consider...

CNN reporting "an agreement is in place".

Official confident that UN move will make Pyongyang regret nuclear test The Associated Press Published: October 13, 2006 WASHINGTON The North Korea resolution before the U.N. Security Council is strong enough to make it "abundantly clear" to that country that its claimed nuclear weapons test "was a very bad decision," a senior State Department official said Thursday. Christopher Hill, assistant secretary for East Asian affairs, brushed aside suggestions that the resolution, awaiting final council approval on Saturday, will make little difference to North Korea. Hill said that with John Bolton, a known hard-liner on North Korea, leading the deliberations for...

October 13, 2006 Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic Of Korea Surely everyone knows what went down this week with the North Koreans threatening to test a nuclear device, as well as the patience of the rest of the world. Kim Jong-il has been saber-rattling for years but this new development forced me to take whatever personal action I could to divert this nuclear threat. I asked my new assistant Squid to come up with a plan and the result of his efforts was genius and daring: Drawing upon his Asian looks, college acting experience, and a distant relative in South Korea...

Pyongyang, October 11 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry issued the following statement Wednesday as regards the U.S. ill-boding moves in the wake of the nuclear test in the DPRK: As we have already declared the field of scientific research of the DPRK successfully conducted an underground nuclear test under secure conditions on Oct. 9 as a new measure for bolstering its war deterrent for self-defence. The DPRK's nuclear test was entirely attributable to the U.S. nuclear threat, sanctions and pressure. The DPRK has exerted every possible effort to settle the nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations,...

S. Korea: Former Covert Agents Protests NK Nuclear Test The Association of Special Operatives staged a protest against N. Korean nuclear test in front of S. Korean Defense Ministry in Yongsan, Seoul, in the morning of Oct. 13. They were wearing N. Korean soldier's uniforms. They used to be the covert operatives who infiltrated into N. Korea and conducted various classified assignments. On the last photo, the long white banner at the top says, "Send us to N. Korea as a special demolition team to destroy nuclear facilities."

Citizens want nuclear weapons: poll October 12, 2006 02:28pm A MAJORITY of South Koreans believe Seoul should respond to North Korea's nuclear test announcement by starting its own nuclear weapons program, a survey has found. North Korea said on Monday it had detonated a nuclear device, causing great anxiety in the South, which is still technically at war with its neighbour and directly in the firing line of the North's 1.2 million-strong army. According to today's poll by the major daily JoongAng Ilbo, 65 per cent of respondents have said South Korea should pursue a path to making itself a...

S Korea under fire for 'dithering'From correspondents in Seoul October 13, 2006 05:44pm SOUTH Korea's President came under fire today for dithering over ways to punish North Korea for its nuclear test, with protesters demanding he quit and the leading daily accusing him of hypocrisy. “Down with (President) Roh Moo-Hyun!” protesters shouted, burning North Korean flags and portraits of Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong-Il. An estimated 2000 people gathered outside Seoul's City Hall four days after the test which shocked the world, denouncing the communist North and demanding Seoul scrap its engagement and reconciliation policy. “Overthrow Kim Jong-Il!” they chanted. “Kim...

Thomas report - Download 525k Listen to Thomas report North Korea's claims to have detonated a nuclear weapon are expected to have wide-reaching effects on efforts to stem nuclear proliferation, especially with regard to Iran. Tehran will be calculating what the international response to the North Korean test will be, and how it will affect its bargaining position. North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il The physical shock waves from North Korea's test may have been limited, but the political shock waves are far more profound, and no more so than in Tehran.Karim Sadjapour, an Iranian affairs analyst with the International...

/begin my translation N. Korea: Another Nuclear Test as Early as in 2~3 Days S. Korean government is trying to verify intelligence that N. Korea is to conduct another nuclear test soon, according to Oct. 12 report of Munhwa Ilbo. Quoting a reliable source on N. Korea, it reported, "Many indications from N. Korea point to the high likelihood that N. Korea would conduct another nuclear test in two or three days. We received intelligence on Oct. 11 that says N. Korean military is showing unusual movements." Alexander Downer, Australian Foreign Minister, said on Oct. 11(Australian time), "We have intelligence...

/begin my translation N. Korea: A Railroad Tunnel Collapsed near Suspected Nuclear Test Site (Japan's) Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Oct. 12 that a railroad tunnel near N. Korea's suspected nuclear test site collapsed on Oct. 9 possibly as a result of the blast. According to the report, quoting sources in Seoul, Baek-am Tunnel, located near Baek-am Station, Baek-am County, Yanggang Province, collapsed after N. Korea announced its nuclear test. The tunnel is 50 km(31 miles) away from the suspected test site(according to S. Korean Intelligence) of Sang-pyong-ri, Kimchaek City, N. Hamkyong Province. Baek-am Station is located at a mid-point of...

/begin my translation Abe, "Continued nuclear development of N. Korea could lead to its collapse" On Oct. 11, Abe Shinzo, the new Japanese Prime Minister, gave his opinion that continued nuclear development of N. Korea could lead to its collapse. Prime Minister Abe attended the Budget Committee of Upper House, and made comments regarding N. Korea's nuclear test, "If (N. Korea) develops nuclear weapons, it would put the survival of N. Korea in serious condition," according to Japanese media. It is the first time that Prime Minster Abe, a well-known hard-liner against N. Korea, mentioned the possibility of N. Korea's...

North Korea's explosive declaration that it has joined the ranks of nuclear-armed nations is the sort of shock wave that at first glance would seem to provide a boost to Republican candidates. One month before election day, with the GOP mired in a congressional sex scandal, the emergence of a new global threat and a renewed focus on national security seems to play right into a Republican strength with an issue that has secured their national majority the past two elections. "Let me put it this way,'' White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said Tuesday from the briefing-room podium. "We're...

Democrats have begun a desperate-yet-predictable effort to blame North Korea's nuclear aspirations on President George W. Bush's strident rhetoric. Despite their leftist cant, they seem remarkably uninterested in the "root causes" of Pyongyang's current nuclear brinksmanship: Bill Clinton's eight years of appeasement and the gullible cordiality of the South Korean government. Threats of a nuclear winter did not mix well with Clinton's sunny disposition. Clinton, who saw the domestic front thronged with "crises," refused to disturb his illusion of a post-Cold War world at complete peace under his watch. He had two private conversations with CIA Director James Woolsey in...

Thick as thieves Wilson John Clandestine dealings between Pakistan and North Korea leave no room for doubt that their nuclear weapons programmes are closely entwined On June 7, 1998, a gun shot shattered the tranquillity of Islamabad's posh colony, referred to as E-7, which houses, among other notables, AQ Khan, known, rightly or wrongly, as the father of the Pakistani nuclear bomb. The firing took place a few metres from away AQ Khan's residence. The dead woman was later identified as Kim Sa-nae, a member of the 20-strong North Korean nuclear scientists delegation living, as Pakistan media reports said, in...

PARIS, Oct 11, 2006 (AFP) - North Korea's claim to have tested a nuclear weapon on Monday may never be confirmed because the blast was so weak, although if the device was indeed nuclear, the test was a flop, a French nuclear official said on Wednesday. "There is a series of differentiations to be done" to sift out the blast from background noise among the seismic data recorded on Monday, said Xavier Clement, spokesman of France's Atomic Energy Commission (CEA). "It is possible that this cannot be done, given the weakness of the signals compared to the background noise" of...

/begin my translation S. Korean Lawmaker, "Russia might have given know-how of miniature nukes to N. Korea" Kong Sung-jin, a S. Korean opposition lawmaker at Intelligence Committee of National Assembly, told on Oct. 11, "We have intelligence that the reason why Russia is the first nation N. Korea gave advance warning of its nuclear test is because Russia gave N. Korea technology for miniaturizing nukes. They are trying to verify the allegation." Legislator Kong appeared on 'Open World Today with Chang Sung-min,' a news talk show of Pyong-hwa Radio, and commented, "Russia and China were the first to know N....

The only good thing about North Korea's nuclear test--aside from the fact that it may have been a dud--is the fact that it has broken the spell of the past two weeks' 1990s re-enactment.I enjoy a good "Seinfeld" episode as much as the next guy, but in hindsight, the famous "show about nothing"--"Seinfeld" always obsessed over the minutiae of life--was a benign symptom of the more ominous underlying affliction of its era: the refusal to face up to the big issues of world events and to take the difficult and unpopular actions necessary to head off looming threats. The Clinton...

BEYOND NORTH KOREACLINTON DELUSIONS, DECEPTIONS + THE BOMBTHE DEMOCRATS ARE GONNA GET US KILLED by Mia T, 10.10.06 "We actually drew up plans to attack North Korea and to destroy their reactors." --bill clinton "I remember exactly what happened. Bruce Lindsey said to me on the phone, 'My God, a second plane has hit the tower.' And I said, 'Bin Laden did this.' that's the first thing I said. He said, 'How can you be sure?' I said 'Because only bin Laden and the Iranians could set up the network to do this and they [the Iranians] wouldn't do...