North Korea claims nuclear test
South Koreans watch television in the wake of North Korea's reported nuclear test
There was concern among South Koreans at the news
North Korea says it has carried out its first test of a nuclear weapon, the state news agency (KCNA) has reported.
It said the underground test, carried out in defiance of international warnings, was a success and had not resulted in any leak of radiation.
The White House said South Korean and US intelligence had detected a seismic event at a suspected test site.
The White House said, if confirmed, the test would be a "provocative act", while China denounced it as "brazen".
In its strongest statement ever against its ally, China expressed its "resolute opposition" to the claimed test and said it "defied the universal opposition of international society".
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the test was "unpardonable".
We expect the UN Security Council to take immediate actions to respond to this unprovoked act
South Korea said it would "sternly respond".
President Roh Moo-hyun has called an emergency meeting of South Korea's National Security Council and put the armed forces on a heightened state of alert.
Seoul also suspended a scheduled aid shipment to North Korea, the state news agency reported.
US White House spokesman Tony Snow said: "We expect the UN Security Council to take immediate actions to respond to this unprovoked act."
'Historic event'
The US Geological Survey said it had detected a 4.2 magnitude quake in North Korea, while a South Korean official said a 3.5 magnitude seismic tremor had been detected in north Hamgyong province, in the north-east.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency is reporting that the test took place in Gilju in Hamgyong province at 1036 (0136 GMT).
A top Russian military officer said it was "100%" certain that an underground nuclear explosion had taken place.
When it announced the test, KCNA described it as an "historic event that brought happiness to our military and people".
"The nuclear test will contribute to maintaining peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and surrounding region," KCNA said.
The region has been on high alert since North Korea announced last week that it would conduct a nuclear test.
Shinzo Abe is in Seoul for a meeting with Mr Roh, a day after talks in Beijing.
Mr Abe said Japan wanted to co-ordinate its response with the South Koreans, and was also in contact with the US and China.
In Tokyo, ministers were called to an urgent meeting, and the government set up a special task force.
Quran[42:40-43] The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah: for (Allah) loves not those who do wrong.
read the Post where it gives tonnes of evidence about how the US provided Saddam hussein with ALLLL the chemicals and chemical weapons he needed + more to keep in his fridge and the little fridge in his car as well
There isn't "tonnes(tons) of evidence" that the U.S. provided Saddam with "ALLLL" the chemical weapons he needed. The Iraqi Atomic Energy Agency imported some chemical agents that could be altered to create a chemical weapons agent. There was no "arms deal" resulting in the U.S. selling Saddam chemical weapons.
There are quite a few misconceptions and falsehoods in your post.
(1) The U.S. did not "supply" chemical weapons to Saddam. The people that say this point to some industrial and agricultural chemicals that could have been altered to produce a chemical agent, which can be said about every country on Earth.
(2) WMD. You have to put the WMD debate in the context of a post-9-11 foreign policy. The greatest fear of the intelligence community in the U.S. was that a rogue regime would supply a terrorist group with chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. The international community had their intelligence agencies come up with the worst possible scenario, and each one, including Russia, France, Great Britain, and many more, felt that Saddam posed the greatest risk in this area. Saddam refused to cooperate in weapons inspections and the rest is history.
(3) Blaming the U.S. for the Oil for Food program is simply not based in reality. The problem with Oil for Food was Saddam himself, who instead of using these funds for his people's needs, built new palaces and increased military spending.
(4) Then we have the "600,000" Iraqi dead statistical estimate, which isn't about how many Iraqis were killed by Americans, it is about how many Iraqis have died from violent causes since the Iraq War began, ranging from criminal activity, Sunni and Shia death squads, stampedes at religious events, etc. Extremely misleading in this context.
lol you know, you can be in denial all you want, but the USA was well aware of what Saddam was doing to his own people, not to mention the Iranian people.
The USA announced, well boasted actually, many times just a couple of months prior to 9/11, they knew FOR SURE Saddam did NOT have WMD and were absolutely NO threat to anyone INCLUDING their own neighbours. Woooo, how much can change in 2 months. Saddam did co-operate with UN inspectors for a long time and the inspectors own reports prove there were NO WMD in Iraq and the USA knew it but ignored it because they needed a reason.
The USA is to blame for the disaster of the Food for Oil program, (you can read my post above).
The 600,000 dead Iraqis is probably grossly UNDERestimated, particularly if you combine that with the 10 years of sanctions. The amount of violence in Iraq wouldn't be there if not for the illegal invasion....led by who? Let me think....oh yes, the USA!!
Korea has been under a dictatorship for years. Do you have any idea the atrocities committed by Jong against his people? Why hasn't the USA done anything to "liberate" the North Koreans? The USA referred to Lukeshanko as "the last dictator", and they know he commits atrocities against his people too, so why aren't they "liberating" Belarusians? Maybe because the Russians wouldn't allow it???? Why are they not "liberating" the people in Uganda being slaughtered at the hands of the Lord's Liberation Army? Quite frankly, these small, impoverished countries don't have anything useful to offer the American government.
They knew Korea had nuclear capabilities, why didn't they do anything? Why didn't they do anything to Israel when Israel refused to allow UN inspectors in and in the end....they DID make nuclear weapons, but that was okie dokie, because the USA still needs them.
Wasalam,
Hana
"Whoever is deprived of gentleness is deprived of all good" (Sahîh Muslim, Sunan Abî Dawûd)
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched...but are felt in the heart.
-Helen Keller
It's called a time line leading up to events? Ever hear of it? or are you one of those ones that just ignore it so you can better justify the atrocities commited today by burying your head in the sand?
"Whoever is deprived of gentleness is deprived of all good" (Sahîh Muslim, Sunan Abî Dawûd)
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched...but are felt in the heart.
-Helen Keller
well u just dont wana open ur eyes EVEN when presented with evidence
thats ur own fault man not mine
i dont give a rats popo about kim yung bung or whatever his name is
the issue that bugs me is "oh the valiant us is going to liberate the poor iraqis by bombing their country to high hell"
but as for the others who DO have WMD's and the US KNOWS they will get retaliation - the us is like a mouse in his mouse hole...Go liberate N.Korea, why dont they? after all the 'poor people of n.korea' are also suffering much i the same way
The US jumped into Iraq because it KNEW they had nothing in there
But you wont see them step into Korea cos they KNOW he will kick their behind and their alies by simply using his WMD's
Wake up - no more fox news!
Are you serious? You seriously think that the US is scared of N. Koreah? It was proven today that the so called nuke wasn't even a nuke for goodness sakes. The reason we're not in N.Korea is that it's China and other countries' jobs to control that country...not ours for once.
The anti-US feelings on this site really give me pause. Are all of you not from the US? If so are your countries perfect?
Are you serious? You seriously think that the US is scared of N. Koreah? It was proven today that the so called nuke wasn't even a nuke for goodness sakes. The reason we're not in N.Korea is that it's China and other countries' jobs to control that country...not ours for once.
The anti-US feelings on this site really give me pause. Are all of you not from the US? If so are your countries perfect?
then why arent they there 'liberating' the n.koreans? lol
Actions my friend speak louder than any words
so why was it US job to control iraq? or maybe i missed the "big book on who has to take care of who book" which some celestial force sent out of the sky
if they are gona play "world police" well then police n.korea too...whose people are suffering even worse than in iraq
then why arent they there 'liberating' the n.koreans? lol
Actions my friend speak louder than any words
so why was it US job to control iraq? or maybe i missed the "big book on who has to take care of who book" which some celestial force sent out of the sky
if they are gona play "world police" well then police n.korea too...whose people are suffering even worse than in iraq
its a joke and u know it
I never said it was our job to liberate Iraq. I was against the war in the first place. As a matter of fact I'd like all of the US forces to withdraw from every single country and put our focus on our OWN country for once. I want us out of Saudi, out of Iraq, out of Germany, out of EVERY COUNTRY. Let them all protect themselves for once and let our men and women come home!
it is not our job to police the world nor is it our job to provide the world with anything. If we stopped giving money out and focused on giving it to our own citizens we'd be a lot better off.
I never said it was our job to liberate Iraq. I was against the war in the first place. As a matter of fact I'd like all of the US forces to withdraw from every single country and put our focus on our OWN country for once. I want us out of Saudi, out of Iraq, out of Germany, out of EVERY COUNTRY. Let them all protect themselves for once and let our men and women come home!
it is not our job to police the world nor is it our job to provide the world with anything. If we stopped giving money out and focused on giving it to our own citizens we'd be a lot better off.
now ur talkin my language - no one has a right to go around invading others and killion countless people
Are you serious? You seriously think that the US is scared of N. Koreah? It was proven today that the so called nuke wasn't even a nuke for goodness sakes. The reason we're not in N.Korea is that it's China and other countries' jobs to control that country...not ours for once.
The anti-US feelings on this site really give me pause. Are all of you not from the US? If so are your countries perfect?
Salam Sister:
I didn't realize each country was given the job to control other countries? So, whose job is it to control the USA, because they've been seriously slacking.
Sister, no one is against the American people at all. It is the American foreign policy that angers most. Surely you can see what your government is doing in the Middle East and the double standards it has for countries like Iraq, Palestine, Iran, etc., and the favouritism it has for Israel even though that country has done far worse things to its neighbours, AND to the USA I might add.
You have to be able to seperate the wrong your government does from the people. We aren't blaming the people, we blame your government.
Wasalam,
Hana
"Whoever is deprived of gentleness is deprived of all good" (Sahîh Muslim, Sunan Abî Dawûd)
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched...but are felt in the heart.
-Helen Keller
Since we have the blame America orgy out of the way, I would like to return to the topic. Since it seems now that the North Korean nuclear "test" was actually either a failed attempt or a complete fraud, I wonder if this will embolden international actions against North Korea or give China and Russia justification to ignore the problem another five years until they have a successful test. Doodlebug was actually correct in stating this is a Chinese and Japanese(not to mention South Korea)problem. China has the best connection to North Korea, so on the diplomatic front China has the best chance of stopping NK from continuing on this course.
Since we have the blame America orgy out of the way, I would like to return to the topic. Since it seems now that the North Korean nuclear "test" was actually either a failed attempt or a complete fraud, I wonder if this will embolden international actions against North Korea or give China and Russia justification to ignore the problem another five years until they have a successful test. Doodlebug was actually correct in stating this is a Chinese and Japanese(not to mention South Korea)problem. China has the best connection to North Korea, so on the diplomatic front China has the best chance of stopping NK from continuing on this course.
Since we have the blame America orgy out of the way, I would like to return to the topic. Since it seems now that the North Korean nuclear "test" was actually either a failed attempt or a complete fraud, I wonder if this will embolden international actions against North Korea or give China and Russia justification to ignore the problem another five years until they have a successful test. Doodlebug was actually correct in stating this is a Chinese and Japanese(not to mention South Korea)problem. China has the best connection to North Korea, so on the diplomatic front China has the best chance of stopping NK from continuing on this course.
I'm still waiting to hear how a country with NO WMD in the Middle East was the USA's problem? The USA was quick to make N. Korea its problem by encouraging sanctions, that we all know doesn't work except to make innocents suffer.
"Whoever is deprived of gentleness is deprived of all good" (Sahîh Muslim, Sunan Abî Dawûd)
The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, nor touched...but are felt in the heart.
-Helen Keller
What? I don't know about spaghetti, although I do make a great chicken parmesan. I assume you are aware of a little thing called the Korean War way back in Roman times? Anyway, North Korea was stopped from taking over South Korea at the DMZ, and by agreement U.S. forces are stationed in South Korea to defend the DMZ. The point is to make sure the U.S. forces on the DMZ just sit around and eat noodles and rice.
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Saddam did co-operate with UN inspectors for a long time and the inspectors own reports prove there were NO WMD in Iraq and the USA knew it but ignored it because they needed a reason. 
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