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Good News on N. Korea Bombs; From BBC World Service's Webpage.
Topic Started: Jan 22 2004, 01:05 AM (170 Views)
Seoul Survivor
Thanks Jay!
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Last Updated: Wednesday, 21 January, 2004, 22:23 GMT
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US expert doubts N Korean bombs


By Jon Leyne
BBC State Department correspondent

United States experts who have just returned from North Korea say they were shown startling new evidence on the state of the North's nuclear programme.

Leading nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker told the US Congress he now believed the North Korea had produced weapons-grade plutonium.

But he did not see any evidence that Pyongyang had made a nuclear bomb.

After much speculation, his testimony provides some of the first evidence on the controversial nuclear programme.

Siegfried Hecker, a nuclear scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, told the members of Congress how the North Koreans had taken him on a tour of the top secret Yongbyon nuclear plant.

It seems their intention was to show that they really have produced a nuclear bomb. But Mr Hecker was hard to convince.


I saw nothing and spoke to no one who could convince me that they could build a nuclear device with that metal
Siegfried Hecker

First he was shown the storage ponds, where spent nuclear fuel rods were stored under international supervision until a year ago.

The rods have now been moved. And the North Koreans were eager to show him the big reprocessing facility nearby, where they say the rods were converted in weapons grade plutonium.

But yet again, Mr Hecker was sceptical.

So his hosts sprung a big surprise, as Siegfried Hecker explained:

"We are in a conference room and they brought in a red metal box, opened that, and inside was a white wooden box with a slide off top, they opened that up and inside were two glass jars," he told Congress.

"The second jar - they said - that's the product, that's plutonium metal."

Real thing?

Without any technical equipment, Mr Hecker then simply picked up the jar to check its weight. A Geiger counter showed the presence of radioactivity. And he was reasonably certain the metal was genuine.

The visitors were told North Korea had reprocessed nuclear fuel rods
But Mr Hecker continued to demand proof from the North Koreans that they had actually succeeded in making a nuclear bomb. This time, they failed to persuade him they had mastered the technical challenges.

So while other countries work to deny American weapons charges - here, ironically, are the North Koreans, unable to convince American experts that they have produced a nuclear device.

Nevertheless the evidence shown to Siegfried Hecker fits the picture painted by intelligence and other analysts.

A report just released by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London warns that the present deadlock in negotiations just gives North Korea more time to produce more nuclear weapons.

"Time is not on the American side," North Korean Vice-Foreign Minister Kim Gye-kwan told the American delegation that included Dr Hecker.

"As time passes our nuclear deterrent continues to grow in quantity and quality."

'Amateurish'

Jack Pritchard, another member of the recent American delegation, resigned from the State Department last year in protest at the Bush administration's policy on North Korea.
<<Sorries this is so long. But it is a LOT better than what I posted last week!!)


Charles "Jack" Pritchard held official talks with North Korea in 2002
He makes a withering condemnation of that policy in Wednesday's New York Times: "At best it can be described only as amateurish," he wrote.

"At worst, it is a failed attempt to lure American allies down a path that is not designed to resolve the crisis diplomatically but to lead to the failure and ultimate isolation of North Korea in hopes that its government will collapse."

Amidst that gloom this unofficial trip did provide a little hope.

Mr Hecker's team had a chance to look at a bigger reactor at Yongbyon which could have massively increased North Korea's nuclear capacity.

From his account it appears the project has been halted and has little prospect of restarting.

And the fact that North Korean officials were so keen to show off their nuclear capacity points to its real purpose - a bargaining chip in future negotiations.

#30#

URL:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3417299.stm

//Seoul
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mIna*
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gOnn@ f3eL aLriGht, gOtt@ t@ke @ cH@nce!
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so this is about...?and the point is..?
mIna*
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Seoul Survivor
Thanks Jay!
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The point is very simple. Picture 17 miles. That is how far North Korea, is from South Korea. Now, if you noticed my post from last week, North Korea, is a VERY poor, VERY repressed country. (AND they need money). So what better way to get money than to launch a nuclear weapon at say Busan? This would destroy pretty much all of South Korea. Then all Kim Jung Il ("Dear Leader") has to do, is to say, "OK, so much for 48.2 million KPOP fans, JPOP,or CPOP, or .....or.....or , You're next." Pay me or else.
This article show he does not have the means to produce the weapons, only some of the material to make the weapons. This is VERY good for our friends, (AND MEMBERS!) from South Korea.

//Seoul
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mIna*
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i see..hehe lol. ummm i hope it's true.. us shoudl get rid of their leader..
mIna*
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Seoul Survivor
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I TOTALLY agree! But here is where things become complicated. You see North Korea, is sort of China's little sister. If "WE" or anybody who even smells slightly like us wipes out Kim Jung Il, (say Brunei, or Italy) we would be committing an act of war,and things would get very ugly, in only seconds...

The fact that thay can only make the tail of the alligator, and then stand on the street corner, and claim they can make a complete alligator, is a very very very nice thing!!

//Seoul
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mIna*
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oh my god...so what is n. korea really wanna do? get south korea to commit and say they surrender?
mIna*
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Seoul Survivor
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I'm not exactly sure. I suspect they want money, not so much from S. Korea, as from us. N. Korea is about the poorest country on earth. So if the US will put, say 10 (b)billion dollars into the infrastructure, (a term meaning roads, and phone systems, and water.......) then N Korea will dismantle it's weapons. (I'm only guessing here!) Then they can bring them out, later, and claim they were only kidding...........
The United States has mainly two allies, in that section of the world. South Korea, and the Philippines. If N.Korea can get one of our allies, and make them flinch, it's a big day in Pyongyang. The BBC (in the above article, let the air out of their tires...)

//Seoul
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mIna*
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that is so bad... i wish north korea leader die!!
mIna*
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xRiceXcrYstaLx
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whoa...
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Winged VoX
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Anyone following me to get rid of Kim JungIl?
Might as well start now before I go in head strong alone.
Then we can unite both parts of Korea for the better or whatever is the best course of action.

Seems like I'm starting a draft, ha.
I need others to help.
Do what is right to protect your Asian stars.
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"Just Like Coffee That Has Cooled..." - Blog Spot
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mIna*
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well hey...talk with me on aim ok...me gotta help out boa...toooo..
mIna*
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Seoul Survivor
Thanks Jay!
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Well, first don't panick. They can't make the entire weapons at this time. So we have time to think. The UN is basically worthless, and IMHO should be disbanded.
They grant only about 3000 viasa, per year, so your chances of getting into the country aren't great.
Our best hope is China. And they seem to be working to calm the situation down. Let's cross our fingers.

//Seoul

#KMR#
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mIna*
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isn't china suppose to be supporting htem to buld those weapons?
mIna*
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Seoul Survivor
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If we had a similar situation, say twenty, or thrity years ago, I would have said "certainly YES!". Now I'm not to sure. China doesn't want to upset the US, because of the trade they have with us, makes their livestyles so much higher than it was, prior to them opening up. (This has been since Tinneimen Square, and that was only 1989) . China also has considerable trade with South Korea, probably mucy more so than North Korea. So what do they gain, if N. Korea bombs S. Korea, or anybody else in the regoin? The at the very least, loose a trading partner, probably piss off other trading partners, who then put tariffs (taxes) on their products, in retalliation for them not controlling their "Ugly little sister"...
So, it looks to me like China wins, by North Korea behaving themselves... UNfortunagely N. Korea's situation does not improve, and I don't have any good ideas on how to do that... (Sorry this is so long)

#KMR#
/Seoul
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Seoul Survivor
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OK, this is long, and sort of hard to understand. but take a look at the CIA World Fact book on North Korea, here:
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kn.html

Now here is the link to our SOUTH KOREA. Compare the differences. (I don't understand everything here, so don't worry if you don't!!)

http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ks.html


Not many similaritites, are there? Have you EVER heard of NPOP music? Me either... Their population is too worried about eating, to worry about singing...



#KMR#
//Seoul
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mIna*
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that is so sad.........
mIna*
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Seoul Survivor
Thanks Jay!
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Yes. They have half the population, in a similar area. They have similar climates, similar natural resources, similar EVERYTHING to our friends, in SOUTH KOREA, Except they have stupid leadership.


Sorry to vent.
#KMR#
//Seoul
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mIna*
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gOnn@ f3eL aLriGht, gOtt@ t@ke @ cH@nce!
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u mean stupid leader in south or north or both? the stupid should be the north guy
mIna*
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Seoul Survivor
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North Korea, has the bad leadership. Roh, in South Korea seems to be doing a very fine job at growing their country, and taking care of his own people.

//Seoul
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LittleBunnyFubar
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BYE BYE

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