North Korea says it will stage nuke test

inmytree wrote:

I say it's time to invade...

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/north_korea

North Korea says it will stage nuke test

By BO-MI LIM, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 26 minutes ago

North Korea said Tuesday it will conduct a nuclear test in the face of what it claimed was "the U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war," ratcheting up tensions amid international pressure to return to negotiations on its atomic program.

The United States warned a North Korean nuclear test "would pose an unacceptable threat to peace and stability." South Korea raised its security level, and Japan promised a severe response if the threat was carried out.

The statement from Pyongyang gave no precise date for a test, but the prospect that North Korea could soon take a major step forward in its nuclear weapons development triggered alarm and condemnation in foreign capitals, including Russia and the European Union. North Korea has a recent history of making provocative statements while refraining from an all-out confrontation with its chief enemy, the United States.

"The U.S. extreme threat of a nuclear war and sanctions and pressure compel the DPRK to conduct a nuclear test, an essential process for bolstering nuclear deterrent, as a self-defense measure in response," the North's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, using its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The Bush administration, which has denied it has any intention of attacking the communist nation, denounced the threat on Tuesday.

A nuclear test "would pose an unacceptable threat to peace and stability in Asia and the world," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, who was traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Middle East.

"A provocative action of this nature would only further isolate the North Korean regime and deny the people of the North the benefits they so rightly deserve," McCormack said.

South Korea "has begun discussions with related countries," the country's presidential office said in a statement. Yoon Tae-young, a presidential spokesman, said the increased security level would mean "intensifying, among other things, the monitoring system to detect signs of North Korea's nuclear testing."

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said he was urging Security Council members to consult with their capitals on the next steps.

"I think it's important that if we embark on something here that we do it seriously and not simply issue statements for the sake of issuing statements," he told reporters before the council met for closed discussions.

Pyongyang has said it has nuclear weapons, but has not conducted any known test to prove its claim. South Korea's spy agency has said the North could test a nuclear bomb at any time.

"A nuclear test would be unforgivable for Japan and for the international community," said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

His comments were echoed by the Japanese foreign minister, Taro Aso.

"Our response will be severe. This is more serious than the North's missile tests," Aso said.

Under a worst-case scenario, a North Korean nuclear test could prompt Japan to seek its own nuclear deterrent, raising tensions with China and South Korea, both of which suffered under Japanese colonial rule in the early 20th century.

China, North Korea's neighbor, ally and chief benefactor, had no immediate comment.

Russia's Foreign Ministry voiced strong concern Tuesday, saying North Korea's plans to conduct a nuclear test would "further exacerbate the military-political situation on the Korean Peninsula and around it." Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed doubt about the report.

"This is not the first time we have heard reports that North Korea announced there will soon be a test of a missile or a nuclear device or something," Lavrov said at a news conference. "In the vast majority of cases, these reports have not been substantiated."

In Finland, European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said such a test "is always bad news."

Multilateral talks on North Korea's nuclear program have been stalled for almost a year, with Pyongyang boycotting the six-nation talks in protest over U.S. financial restrictions imposed for its alleged illegal activity, including money laundering and counterfeiting.

Efforts to bring the North back to negotiations have taken on added urgency after the communist nation test-fired seven missiles in July, including one believed to be capable of reaching the United States.

Reports have also suggested the North might conduct a nuclear test, citing suspicious activity at a possible underground test site. Many experts believe the North has enough radioactive material to build at least a half-dozen or more nuclear weapons.

McCormack, the State Department spokesman, said the United States and its partners in the six-nation talks "seek the denuclearization of North Korea through peaceful diplomatic means."

The North said Tuesday its ultimate goal is "to settle hostile relations between the DPRK and the U.S. and to remove the very source of all nuclear threats from the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity," accusing the U.S. of posing a nuclear threat in the region.

The North, however, said it will "never use nuclear weapons first and strictly prohibit any threat of nuclear weapons and nuclear transfer."

Charles Kartman, who was the lead negotiator with North Korea under the Clinton administration, said last week that North Korea had few other options than saber-rattling.

"If they feel they are not getting interaction with us, they tend to do things to get our attention. And the tools that they have are all bad ones," he said. "The missiles, the nuclear program, the military."

jlew24asu wrote:

you want to rid the world of nukes, have at it. north korea would have no problem lobbing one up and few miles away into soeul.

jlew24asu wrote:

then why havent we dropped one on mecca? or pakistan? or kabul? or baghdad?

think before you say something so foolish

SweetHarmonics wrote:

TRANSLATION: Kim Jong Il is feeling left out guys, pay him the attention he desperately seeks.

I wonder if this one will peter out like the last test missle they hyped up.