The October 9th 2006, the North Korea would have carried out its first underground Nuclear test.

After several days of uncertainty as for the nature of the explosion, the the United States confirmed to have detected radioactive substances around the Korean peninsula. These analyzes however are given in doubt by some by the presence of a Russian nuclear installation near to the border North-Korean.

Official announcement and position North-Korean

The governmental news agency North-Korean Korean Central News Agency officially emitted following press release:

The team of the scientific researchers of the RPDC carried out successfully and in full safety an underground nuclear test on October 9th of year 95 of the era Juche (October 9th, 2006) at one epic time where all the population of the country makes large a step ahead towards the construction of large, powerful and thrives socialist nation. It was confirmed that no danger, such as radioactive emissions, resulted from the nuclear test because this one was led under the terms of scientific considerations and of careful calculations. The nuclear test was carried out thanks to wisdom and a technology with 100% indigenous. It marks an historical event because it encourages highly and immensely satisfies the Korean popular Army and the people which wished to have a capacity of powerful and independent defense. It will contribute to defend peace and stability in the Korean Péninsule and the area around

" " We will give up our nuclear program the day when we will have found a mode of coexistence with the " United States; , declared, in September, the vice-minister of the foreign affairs North-Korean Kim Gye-gwan in Selig Harrison, one of the rare Americans to have access to the eminent personages with Pyongyang. In exchange of the stop of its nuclear program, the RPDC requires of the United States of the security guarantees, a standardization of the relations and the lifting of the sanctions imposed at the end of the war of Korea (1953) which make a country paria" of them;.

It should be noted that the authorities North-Korean always justified their nuclear program as a defensive reaction in the event of a possible attack of a hostile country towards the RPDC (such as the United States), and not as a weapon of first attack.

Localization of the nuclear test

The United States Geological Survey , arranges American charged to supervise the seismic activity of the Earth, recorded the October 9th 2006 a seism of 4,2 on the scale of Richter to 01:35: 27 UTC (10: 35: 27 local time). The coordinates of seism are with a precision of + 10,5 km. This point is at 70 km of Kimchaek, 90 km of Chongjin and 385 km in north east of Pyongyang.

This nuclear test was also confirmed by a Général of the Armed forces of the federation of Russia and by a person in charge of the South Korean seismic center which, under cover of anonymity, declared that a jolt of non-naturelle origin of 3,6 on the scale of Richter had been recorded.

The power of the test was initially estimated in a coarse way: between 1 and 15 kilotons (near to the bends of Hiroshima). The bomb finally proved much less powerful with less than 1 kiloton.

A date symbolic system

Though no official declaration affirmed it, two events imply the choice suitable for the weekend from October 8th to 9th to finalize this nuclear test:

The Western mediums prolonged these allegations by interpreting the act like antipathetic a " message of bienvenue" on behalf of the authorities North-Korean.

International reactions

This first nuclear test of the North Korea started strong reactions of protest in the world.

North America

  • the United States: The US president George W. Bush condemned Monday the advertisement of a nuclear test by the North Korea like a provocation and a threat for international safety and claimed an immediate answer on behalf of the Safety advice of the United Nations.

  • Canada : Canadian the Prime Minister Stephen Harper condemned severely, Monday, the nuclear test which the North Korea dimanche." would have apparently carried out; This irresponsible and dangerous act seriously compromises peace and stability in the area, as well as the efforts universally made in order to apply a brake at the proliferation of the weapons nucléaires"

Asia

  • Kampuchea : The Minister for information Khieu Kanharith expressed his opposition to the decision North-Korean to carry out their first nuclear test and encouraged the other nations to have a diplomatic reaction to the situation. Mr Kanharith also said to the United States that they should declare officially that they will not invade the North Korea.
  • China : an official statement indicates that the North Korea was unaware of concerns of the international community and carried out in a shameless way a nuclear test. The Chinese government expresses on this occasion its firm opposition .
China however invited the United States to have " a more active attitude and more flexible" (source: Chinese news agency Xinhua, reproduced with the following address).

  • : Yoon Tae-Young, spokesperson of the South Korean presidency: Our government will react in a severe way and will not tolerate a North Korea which has the atomic weapon .

Concerning the South Korean public opinion, a relative majority considers that the United States is responsible for the nuclear test North-Korean, thus blaming the United States in the degradation of the international situation in Korea which led to this nuclear test.

  • Japan : Shinzo Abe, the Japanese Prime Minister: the test of nuclear weapons by the North Korea could never be forgiven but should gather and analyze more information to us on the file while keeping the cool head .
    • October 11th, 2006. The Minister for Defense Michele Alliot-Marie expresses doubts on the atomic nature of this test and/or on its success. According to the minister, “In any event, if it were about a nuclear explosion, it would act of a missed explosion” .

  • the United Kingdom : The British Prime Minister Tony Blair declared that this nuclear test is considered by the United Kingdom, and will be considered by the international community, as an act highly provocant to which we will bring a vigorous response and which it will increase the tensions in an area where they are already strong and will have repercussions with the international level

  • Russia

While adopting the resolution of the Safety advice of the United Nations after the nuclear test North-Korean, Russia criticized the American position by stressing that the North Korea sought guarantees on the integrity of its sovereignty (source: Cyberpress, with the following address):

" According to the representative of Moscow, the Communist regime of Pyongyang “endeavors to develop weapons (nuclear) because it fears for the integrity of his sovereignty”.

The best means of regulating the crisis, for the ambassador, is “to reassure the North Korea and to promise to him that its sovereignty is inviolable”.

“Strategy to threaten the North Korea, by saying " one will force you to give up your nuclear ambitions if you do not give up yourselves volontairement" , will not go”, predicted Mr. Lossioukov, by referring to the position américaine".

The Middle East

Oceania

  • Australia : John Howard, the Australian Prime Minister: Australia will require a reaction of the Safety advice against the North Korea including of the financial sanctions, of the limitations of displacements, as well as new commercial and air restrictions .

The United Nations

This one envisages an embargo on the related weapons and materials, " materials dependant on the nuclear engineering or that of the missiles , like on the luxury items . It calls all the Member States, in conformity with their legislation, with to act in the co-operation to ensure the respect of these embargoes, including while carrying out the inspection of any cargo with destination or coming from North Korea .

She in addition asks the freezing of the financial credits held abroad by any person or organization related to the nuclear program or of ballistic missiles of the North Korea.

NATO

Policies of retortion

  • Australia: October 10th, the Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer received the ambassador of the North Korea Chon Jae-Hong. Following a rather cold maintenance if one refers to the account which in is made in the Australian newspaper " The Daily Telegraph" dated October 11th (" It - Alexander Downer - him - Chon Jae-Hong - pointed finger the night satellite image of both Corées which showed the flooded South of light and the North plunged in the ténèbres"), Mr. Downer carried out the following declaration: " in answer to the advertisement of the North Korea - to have carried out a nuclear test -, I authorized additional restrictions on the visas - North-Korean -, with very few exceptions, which included the cancellation of certain visas existants". Although the possibility of the reference of the first diplomat North-Korean was even considered, the Australian diplomacy finally decided to maintain relations with Pyongyang. In 2005-2006, 155 North-Koreans moved on the island according to " The Daily Telegraph".

  • China: The units of the popular Armée with release stationed along the border in the Chinese province of the Jilin had their completely removed permissions and certain units proceed to exercises of antichimic drive , written Tuesday, October 10 a newspaper of HongKong, the " Wen Wei Pole journal".

  • : The government of Seoul suspended until the end of March 2007 (following the signed agreement signed in Beijing on February 13rd, 2007 on the Nuclear weapons in North Korea) the deliveries of humanitarian aid intended for the North Korea. The government placed the armed forces in state of alert. South Korea however announced that it pousuivrait its policy of economic cooperation with the North Korea (source: South Korean KBS, dispatch reproduced with the following address arranges).

  • the United States: Adoption on October 13rd, 2006 of the Law on non-proliferation in direction of the Democratic republic and Popular of Korea (RDPC) .

the law in question guarantees that the United States will carry out a checking scrupulous and will consequently adopt sanctions against all the foreign organizations, implied in the transfer to the North Korea or since the latter of weapons nuclear, chemical or biological, as well as sophisticated missiles or other conventional armaments and goods which are there dependant .

  • Japan: Tokyo reinforced its retaliatory measures while prohibiting from now on, with all the ships North-Korean the access to the Japanese ports. Moreover, one boycott of the products North-Korean in Japan is also applied, as well as the prohibition of entry of any citizen of North Korea to the Japanese territory. November 14th was announced the stop of exports to the North Korea of 24 products of Luxe such as cars, the alcohol, the stones invaluable, cosmetic, the objects out of leather, the watches, the bovine meat, nets of tuna and the caviar, this measurement aims at hiérarques Communist regime. The full value of exports of the 24 defended products represents a little more than one billion Yen S (7 million Euro S) in 2005, that is to say less than 20% of the total of Japanese exports towards the North Korea, according to the ministry for the Trade.

Resumption of negotiations on the Korean nuclear question

At the conclusion of a Chinese mediation, the North Korea confirmed the resumption of negotiations on the nuclear fill, provided that is approached the question of the American financial sanctions adopted against it (source: " Monde" , with the following address).

Within this framework, an agreement was signed in Beijing on February 13rd, 2007 (see the article detailed on the Nuclear weapons in North Korea).

References

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