Posted on 06/12/2009 4:03:37 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
SKorea braces for 3rd nuclear test by North Korea
By KWANG-TAE KIM, Associated Press Writer Fri Jun 12, 3:52 am ET
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea was bracing for a possible third nuclear test by the North, which a U.S. official said was likely despite looming U.N. sanctions on the communist state for its previous test in May.
Given the North's track record of provocative behavior and defiance of the United Nations, "common sense" would dictate that it is preparing for another nuclear test, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae told reporters Friday.
He said the test was "probably possible."
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Ping!
BTTT
“despite looming U.N. sanctions on the communist state for its previous test in May”
Commons sense would indicate sanctions don’t work.
In other words, I think they're past the stage where the nuclear weapons program was primarily a tool to get attention and blackmail. Now it's primarily a tool to get nuclear weapons.
In the end, it's all about money and stability. Blackmail worked for a while, but the regime simply needs more income. Being the nuclear weapons Wal-Mart of the world will fix the income issue for decades.
But first, they need a working product.
LLS
Don’t you wish reporters would omit the verb “braces” from their repertoire? I mean, is SK really Bracing for it? Is the gulf coast really bracing for “the worst hurricane season in history?”
Don’t they need time to tweak the device to make it smaller and more reliable? Can they do it in a couple of months?
Reminds me of the old “Duck & Cover” films the schools showed us in the 50s & 60s. Brace yourself! Don't look at the blast!
Of course, the cowards in DC will be bracing themselves, too. And that is ALL they will do.
If I were KJI, & I kept testing nukes & firing missiles for practice, & the USA, despite claiming to be able to intercept these missiles, never did try to intercept these missiles; I might just believe the USA is lying about its anti-missile missiles. And if I thought that, then I can hold SK & Japan nuclear hostage & demand anything I want. If I don't get it, then my “tests” will become ever more threatening & frequent, until one day it is NOT a test.
Who's gonna stop him, Zer0, Hillary, Nancy, & Harry? The UN (Useless Nannies)? How about a “coalition of the willing”? KJI would laugh at that louder than I do.
Obviously, the policy has been to let NK starve itself into collapse, a policy Zer0 seems content to continue. But KJI has a nuclear “ace up his sleeve”, & as his hold on power becomes more flimsy, his desperation will increase, as will the temptation to use that Ace.
Though I doubt KJI has yet to have a “deliverable” nuke, he is obviously much further along in this than is Iran, & his 2 potential targets - SK & Japan - are much closer than Iran is to Israel.
So Zer0 & co. need to get serious with NK & shoot down at least one of these missiles, so that KJI will know that he can't win this game. Others will take note of our anti-missile capability & be fairly warned.
“looming” ?
We figured out nuclear weapons using pens and paper almost 70 years ago. The North Koreans have a tremendous head start, with modern computers and scientific assistance from other nations, and have already achieved nuclear reactions. They're really just working towards fine tuning now. If they have enough fissile material to burn, they can keep testing every few months until they get it perfect.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.