North Korea Under Close Scrutiny

U.S. Says Satellites Show Activity That Might Be Prep For Another Nuke Test

(CBS/AP)  Hill said the North was falsely assuming it would win more respect with atomic explosions.

"The fact of the matter is that nuclear tests make us respect them less," he said, adding that the North's comments about sanctions were "not very helpful."

U.S. intelligence has concluded that the North Korean device likely used plutonium, as opposed to uranium, in the Oct. 9 test.

U.S. intelligence estimates that North Korea has enough plutonium for six to 10 bombs, but also has the ability to make more, reports Martin.

Under a 1994 deal with the United States made during the Clinton administration, North Korea pledged to freeze its nuclear program, then believed to be based on producing weapons-grade plutonium.

The agreement broke down by 2002 under the Bush administration after revelations of a covert effort by the North to produce highly enriched uranium. Pyongyang soon removed 8,000 spent fuel rods that the International Atomic Energy Agency was monitoring and began to reprocess them into weapons-grade nuclear fuel.

The White House said Tuesday that it wouldn't be surprising if North Korea were to try another nuclear test "to be provocative."

"It would not be a good thing for them, but it certainly would not be out of character," said White House press secretary Tony Snow. "We're not going to discuss any particular matters of intelligence, but if you take a look at the record, I think it is reasonable to expect that the government of North Korea will do what it can to test the will, the determination and the unity of the United Nations."

Asked why it would not be a good thing for North Korea, Snow said, "If they do believe that somehow people are going to give them a pass on this, they're going to find out that they're wrong."

While U.S. officials insist they aren't about to invade, they have taken other steps against North Korea — even before the U.N. resolution — including severing it from the international financial system. That move is believed to have angered the elites that keep Kim in power, and Kim may fear being ousted or possibly even killed.

The North has consistently pressed for direct talks with the United States on the financial sanctions and has refused to attend six-nation disarmament talks until the sanctions are lifted. Along with the United States, the talks include China, Japan, Russia and South Korea.

The Bush administration, wary of rewarding the regime's behavior, has consistently refused to talk directly to the North, insisting the issue is a regional concern and seeking to enlist other countries.

On Tuesday, Rice left for Japan, the first stop on a four-nation trip, amid clear signs of unease in China and South Korea about even the softened sanctions.

China contends that interdicting ships, although permitted in the U.N. resolution, might needlessly provoke the North and discourage it from returning to the six-nation talks. South Koreans worry about a conventional attack by their unpredictable neighbor.

"Sanctions against North Korea should be done in a way that draws North Korea to the dialogue table," South Korean Prime Minister Han Myung-sook said, according to Yonhap news agency. "There should never be a way that causes armed clashes."

[laurieleemoo]

OH NEWSTER-----talk, talk talk talk talk talk-----HOW LONG, EXACTLY???????? should we talk talk talk talk for????!!!! Have you NOT been paying attention????? Listen up for all Americans who do NOT keep up with current world events and then try to jump in somewhere in the middle and GET LOST..........We have ALREADY talked to Kim Jong Mentally Ill and we ALREADY had an agreement with him a few years back----HE BROKE THE AGREEMENT. So what, talk til we are blue in the face---maybe, possibly getting an agreement to give up his nuclear ambitions only to have him turn around and BREAK the agreement again? THAT'S YOUR PATHETIC ANSWER????????

[laurieleemoo]

joeshields----I tell you who we are---we are one of the countries that irresponsibly developed nuclear weapons a long time ago. We are also part of the United Nations that dedcided a few years back No More of developing nuclear weapons. We did get rid of some of ours and so did Russia. However, we can not possibly get rid of them all----because where the hell are we going to put all the nuclear waste, Huh? Huh? So that is the reason we have nuclear weapons-----but NO that DOES NOT give the right to all these other (rogue) countries to now start developing them. The World (United Nations) has made a statement NO MORE NUCLEAR WEAPONS!!!! So, just because we have nuclear weapons from a long time ago-----DOES NOT GIVE THESE CONUNTRIES THE RIGHT------YOU ARE SO WRONG!
Listen, you naive liberal------DO NOT THINK FOR A MINUTE-----that N. Korea and Iran won't sell these nuclear weapons to the Terrorists!!! So darling----WE CAN NOT RELAX!!! You can relax all you want, but a Nuclear N. Korea is NOT ACCEPTABLE!!! My gawd---you act like we are talking about SANE people when you talk about N. Korea Kim Jong Il and Iran. Oh yeah---I'm real sure these idiots will stop and think (Not)---My gawd, WHAT A JOKE and HOW NAIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[laurieleemoo]

oh and zeeklylord did you know that S-E-X is also a bad word. Yesterday, I made a comment that the liberals act like they love the terrorists so much that I think they want to have *** with them.! They bleeped S-E-X out.
(I was referring to the uproar yesterday from the liberal america on cbs site about the new bill the President signed (terrorists trials).
Anyway, i thought that was funny---as i was always told S-E-X was not a bad word.

[laurieleemoo]

zeekylord---you are so right----it is pretty funny to sit back and what the kim jong mentally ill character---not only is he mentally ill-----HE IS ABSOLUTELY SUICIDAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

[zeekylord]

OMG!

F-A-R-T is on the ban list?!?!

[zeekylord]

Anybody remember Crocodile Dundee?

That scene where the thug has threatens Mick with a pocket knife? And Mick pulls out his hunting knife?
"You call that a knife? THIS is a knife!"

This whole NK thing reminds me of that. They set off a ONE kiloton nuclear bomb. ONE!

The rest of the world's nuclear nations have bombs equal to ONE THOUSAND kilotons or more.

So what are the NKs thinking? What they have could hardly blow up Mayberry. What we have could erase every single square-inch of North Korea from the map!

You call that a nuke? THIS is a nuke!

So I honestly don't understand Kim Jong Ill shaking his phallic member at the rest of the word and declaring war. Pakistan can set off a nuclear *** that would melt Pyonyang.

Is he that dense? Does he really believe his own rhettoric?

After their next nuclear fizzle, they are gonna be worse off. If they go to above-ground testing, they are so getting invaded.

Maybe they should just call it a day.

[drgoodwin12]

To JoeShields56 at last someone who has some intelligence and is not playing the blame game here.The only problem I see with your comment is if they Iran and N.Korea build up a substantial stockpile of nuclear weapons.That is where the fear factor lies neither are stupid enough to sell them to terrorist as it could easily be traced back to them.The question remains is how to prevent them from aquiring and building more nuclear weapons.

[joeshields56]

Who are we, with our stockpile of nukes and other nasty weapons (some of which we used to kill a lot of innocent people in an unjustified offensive war in Iraq), to tell other nations what weapons they may have to defend themselves. Especially a nation we have labelled along side of Iraq (which we invaded) as part of the "Axis of Evil".

We need to relax. The Media included. North Korea and Iran don't want nuclear weapons for offensive campaigns. Think about it. Nuclear weapons are not offensive weapons. They are deterrent weapons. They can deter a superpower from invading your country. We created the paranoia so live with it. Can we say "Cold War".

Of course, if North Korea and Iran thought about it they would realize the precarious position they are placing themselves in. God forbid, but if a nuclear bomb ever goes off anywhere, they would immediately be toast. Questions would be asked afterwards.

[nothappyatall]

...a declaration of war.

Just as they said our sanctions would be considered, but Bush did it anyway didn't he!

... But there is not much U.S. officials like chief Korean negotiator Chris Hill can do except issue warnings.

BINGO!! we are helpless, and now that they said they don't care about sanctions and laughed, we have ZERO bargaining chips now thanks to BUSH

...U.S. intelligence estimates that North Korea has enough plutonium for six to 10 bombs,

LOL, is this the SAME "intelligence" we used for IRAQ? ROTFLMAO!!! I just just see "Good job Brownie" heading the new department there.

... Condoleezza Rice launched a diplomatic drive to persuade Asian allies and Russia to intensify North Korea's isolation by enforcing sanctions

Maybe BUSH should have held talks with them like they ASKED many times, so in response to that they decided to do something to make us TAKE pay attention, this was a direct action for that.
That's what STARTED this latest, maybe Condosleazy Rice should have been talking instead to N KOREA to begin with eh!

[peterbaldwin-2009]

I brand Bush's unilateral, bellicose approach as reckless, because South Korea has taken a soft-line approach with a good measure of success in easing North/South tensions. After all, Kim Jong is mercurial, authoritarian, and unpredictable. If he lets loose with the bombs and artillery, the cicilians of So. Korea will feel the brunt of his wrath, while Bush will be, at most, falling of his bicycle at his Texas ranch when he get the news that Seoul is under attack.

[radiob-2009]

If anyone actually beleives that sanctions will work then they have not followed the situation with N.Korea over the last 56 years.They have been allies with China and Russia for many years.McCarthur had to be ordered back as he was advancing into China for fear of a third world war.Truman and Eisenhower left no options militarily of the table as far as usage of a nuclear bomb.23 years pass and under Ford we start dismantling the nuclear weapons we had in S.Korea this was completed with the first Bush president.In steps Clinton and he gets the N.Koreans to allow I.A.E.A. inspectors to come in ,cameras are set up at each nuclear facility.Fast forward to 2002 and N.Korea kicks out the inspectors and takes down the cameras.It also renounces on the NonNuclear Proliferation treaty.All of this can be found at th Washington Post and Times.Not playing a blame game here,just stating the facts as reported.Now we are faced with them possibly detonating a second device and declaring that the U.N. actions are a act of war.It would be nice to beleive that China would actually enforce the sanctions but they have already objected to parts of the agreement they voted in favour of.The N.I.E. and the pentagon have not given us a very rosy scenario for military conflict.So in the end anaylsis we are either going to have another country with nuclear warheads.The question is how to prevent them from manufacturing more?

[frankly6]

"This is just a talking point feast for Fox News. NK is in artillery range of the SK capitol and they hold all of the cards here. The Bush policy has been for he and Condi's to stick their heads in the sand. Once again they get the Sargent Schultz Award for "knowing nothing" and blaming everyone else. I would be far more worried about a rogue Russian or Pakistani scientist funneling nuklar material to terrorist than NK. But now the US media must demonize the NK leader into another Hitler to make us feel "rigt"- though we are the ones invading countries on other continents and totally *** up these countries - what gives us this right - especially when we let Bin Laden get away scot free- another Bush failure We have allowed these terrorists ample time to learn and basically defeat our on the ground occupation tactics with far inferior weapons to our own. But when we loose the war in Iraq due to a faulty plan and a recovering alcholic leader as president it will be the liberal media's fault. Bush is so weak, he can't even have a beer without worrying he'll relapse."

[frankly6]

Don't do it Kim! Don't you dare! Consiquences and repurcussions! We'll take your toys away we sware! Ohh snap he did it anyway.

[talkingham]

This is just a talking point feast for Fox News. NK is in artillery range of the SK capitol and they hold all of the cards here. The Bush policy has been for he and Condi's to stick their heads in the sand. Once again they get the Sargent Schultz Award for "knowing nothing" and blaming everyone else. I would be far more worried about a rogue Russian or Pakistani scientist funneling nuklar material to terrorist than NK. But now the US media must demonize the NK leader into another Hitler to make us feel "rigt"- though we are the ones invading countries on other continents and totally *** up these countries - what gives us this right - especially when we let Bin Laden get away scot free- another Bush failure We have allowed these terrorists ample time to learn and basically defeat our on the ground occupation tactics with far inferior weapons to our own. But when we loose the war in Iraq due to a faulty plan and a recovering alcholic leader as president it will be the liberal media's fault. Bush is so weak, he can't even have a beer without worrying he'll relapse.

[agnim]

Intelligence lapse ala-911?


"One good turn/bomb deserves another", thinks the Koreans.

Maybe the Koreans are out to give evidence to counter the propaganda about the first one being a 'dud'.

By dissing them and denying the Koreans their first nuke test, we foolishly invite another test. LOL



Anyway, if the Russians could have known from day one that the Koreans indeed blasted a nuke, how come the American agents were so slow in knowing?
Intelligence lapse ala-911? Mmmmm

[chicatibu]

Why is it Bush and America who are responsible for North Korea having the bomb? It was Clinton Albright and Carter who set the process in motion and China and Russia who%u2019ve been protecting them. Bush has insisted from the beginning it%u2019s a problem for North Koreas neighbors and the UN to resolve. It seems to be Democrats who keep pushing for a military solution. If North Koreas neighbors aren%u2019t concerned why should Bush and his administration be? The Media seems to be pushing for another front in the war on terror Iran, North Korea, Palestine or Swaziland it really doesn%u2019t matter to the press as long as it creates headlines.

[moonface87]

The United States needs to deal with North Korea on a one on one basis. We're the ones who have had between 50,000 and 30,000 troops stationed there for more than 50 years. I was in the Army there in Seoul in 1967-68. Thank You. Paul Osborne Crookston,MN

[lestb35]

Why are we the only ones to step up to the plate. Where is EU, Japan? Pressure China, definately,absolutely.

[grumpas]

I am with PeterBaldwin! How did we manage to re-elect the dumb s---! Is half the country still asleep? Isn't it about time someone woke up and started minding the store? He will keep harping on nukes until he has another war started! Then all the Bushie's can tell us how he is spreading democracy around the world, how he is such a great leader and saving us from the terrible scourge of Islamofascim (whatever that is)! So as our country sinks slowly in the west because Dubya has become to big of a world threat to peace! The rest of the world has united like never before to wipe us off the map! All the Bushie's can start cheering and raise the banner "Misson Accomplished"!

[tomflint69]

I have my brain sucked after reading news about NKorea's nukes on daily basis. Now shutup and give us some other news from around the world.