Highland 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2004 North Korea By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press Writer SEOUL, South Korea - A large explosion occurred in the northern part of North Korea (news - web sites), sending a huge mushroom cloud into the air on an important anniversary of the communist regime, a South Korean news agency reported Sunday. The Yonhap news agency, citing an unidentified source in Beijing, said the explosion happened Thursday in Yanggang province near the border with China. The explosion in Kim Hyong Jik county blasted a crater big enough to be noticed by a satellite, the source said. "We understand that a mushroom-shaped cloud about 3.5 to 4 kilometers (about 2-2 1/2 miles) in diameter was monitored during the explosion," Yonhap quoted an unidentified diplomatic source in Seoul as saying. North Korea was founded Sept. 9, 1948. Leader Kim Jong Il uses the occasion to stage performances and other events to bolster loyalty among the impoverished North Korean population. Experts have speculated that North Korea might use a major anniversary to conduct a nuclear-related test, though there was no immediate indication that Thursday's reported explosion was linked to Pyongyang's efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Kim Hyong Jik is reported to hold a major missile base. North Korea, which has a large missile arsenal and more than 1 million soldiers, is dotted with military installations. South Korea (news - web sites)'s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Sunday the government was in the process of confirming reports there were signs of an explosion in North Korea. "I am not aware of details such as the size of the damage," he was quoted as saying by Yonhap after a National Security Council meeting. On Saturday, North Korea said recent revelations that South Korea conducted secret nuclear experiments involving uranium and plutonium made the communist state more determined to pursue its own atomic programs. The South Korean experiments, conducted in 1982 and 2000, were likely to further complicate the already stalled six-nation talks aimed at dismantling the North's nuclear development. South Korea has said the experiments were purely for research and did not reflect a desire to develop weapons. On April 22, train wagons at a railway station exploded in the North Korean town of Ryongchon, killing 160 people and injuring an estimated 1,300, according to some estimates. The blast was believed to have been sparked by a train laden with oil and chemicals that hit power lines. The source in the Yonhap report said Thursday's explosion reportedly was bigger than the train explosion. Well, things have gotten a bit more interesting and tense in the Far East right now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teke184 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2004 Well FUCK... Kim Jong Il is trying to raise the stakes on the negotiations he wants with the western world. The real question, though, is whether this is a nuke PRODUCED in North Korea or whether this is a bootleg nuke that they bought from Russia or somewhere else. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Salacious Crumb Report post Posted September 12, 2004 Man, something else Jimmy Carter failed at. What a surprise. Hopefully China gets off it's ass and reigns them in before this gets any worse. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jesse_ewiak 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2004 That's odd, I didn't think Jimmy Carter was President the last three and a half years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Salacious Crumb Report post Posted September 12, 2004 If you actually knew a damned thing you would know that North Korea was his pet project during the Clinton years. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
teke184 0 Report post Posted September 12, 2004 Due to Highland's request, this thread is closed because Rob's thread on the same subject was posted first. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
