WAR: Reactor In North Korea Worries The U.S., page 1

posted on Apr, 18 2005 @ 04:24 AM

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The suspected shutdown of a nuclear reactor at North Korea's main weapons facility caused the White House to suspect that they may be getting ready to process a new batch of weapons grade fuel, in order to increase the size of their arsenal. There is no way to tell for sure the cause of the shutdown but the CIA has stated, that in the last two years, spent fuel from that same reactor has yielded enough nuclear material to make six bombs. David Albright, former weapons inspector said that there was no way to tell how much spent fuel has been accumulated in two years since its first shutdown. He did however speculate that it could be enough to make two nuclear weapons.

www.nytimes.com
While there is no way to know with any certainty why the reactor might have been shut down, it has been North Korea's main means of obtaining plutonium for weapons. The Central Intelligence Agency has told Congress it estimates that in the last two years the country turned a stockpile of spent fuel from the same reactor into enough bomb-grade material for more than six nuclear weapons.

That focused new attention on spy satellite photographs of the reactor, which has been watched intensively in recent months. While American officials would not discuss what the spy satellites had seen, commercial satellite photographs of the plant, taken by DigitalGlobe and interpreted by the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, show that the plant was apparently shut down or shifted to a very low power level at least 10 days ago, around the time of Mr. Harrison's visit.

"It is still too murky to tell exactly what the North Koreans are doing," said one senior administration official who is deeply immersed in the intelligence. The North has repeatedly publicly declared in recent months that it now possesses nuclear weapons. It recently urged the United States to accept that fact and engage in mutual arms reduction talks.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

North Korea seems determined to continue their production of nuclear devices. This new event will only add to the already strained relations between the two countries.

Related News Links:
www.nytimes.com
news.yahoo.com
news.ft.com

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
I smell a world war a-brewin
North Korea backs Iran

[edit on 18-4-2005 by Event Horizon]

cohiba

posted on Apr, 18 2005 @ 02:11 PM

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This could be bad. Or not. FoxNews has this article.

While shutting down the reactor is definite cause to keep close watch, it could be nothing...

From FoxNews:
The apparent shutdown of a nuclear reactor in North Korea (search) is raising concerns among Bush administration officials that Pyongyang has completed the task of producing spent fuel rods laced with weapons-grade plutonium.

But a U.S. official familiar with the situation said there could be at least two other possibilities, neither of which is troubling: that the reactor has run into mechanical trouble or that North Korea is bluffing in order to raise anxieties.

We will have to keep very close eye on this. We are getting very close to a point of no return, I fear. Couple this will the China/Japan/Taiwan/Iraq/Iran/etc, etc. issues and we are at a very important point in history, should the wrong (or right) decisions be made.

w1kdtr1p

posted on Apr, 18 2005 @ 02:24 PM

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makes one wonder... why there wasn't such great analysis and concern over the U.S. and U.S.S.R. nuclear developments of the past. How has the threat changed? Just because Korea or Iran are considered 'rogue state', what does that say about the U.S. and Russia? Who are we to judge?

Phugedaboudet

posted on Apr, 18 2005 @ 02:45 PM

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Because at no time since the end of WWII has either the USA or USSR seriously considered using such devices frivously for anything less than a total, gloves-off smackdown. Our leaders didn't sit on national TV bragging of how they'd use these against deliberately named natiions. Ours and the Soviets were an implied threat, aimed at each other. Iran and NK, an explicit, directed threat. A difference from someone carrying a gun in their pocket standing nearby you, and someone with the weapon drawn, slide cocked, an inch from your eyeball.

Perhaps the definition of "rogue state" could be changed. A rogue state is any nation that believes it can detonate a nuclear device on an enemy and know there will be no similar retaliation because the target nation's own press and people will not allow it. A rogue state is one that has mpre to gain by using such devices than by *not* using them.

Originally posted by w1kdtr1p
makes one wonder... why there wasn't such great analysis and concern over the U.S. and U.S.S.R. nuclear developments of the past. How has the threat changed? Just because Korea or Iran are considered 'rogue state', what does that say about the U.S. and Russia?

Who are we to judge?

Event Horizon

posted on Apr, 18 2005 @ 03:55 PM

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Here are two pictures of the facility:

On

external image

Off

external image

[edit on 18-4-2005 by Event Horizon]

UM_Gazz

posted on Apr, 18 2005 @ 03:55 PM

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North Korea; Just a puppet of China!

The conflict over Taiwan is brewing.. Because of Japan and U.S. stepping up to defend Tiawan against any Chinese invasion... North Korea has become a wild card in the greater game.

Don't miss the plot.. China will use North Korea to create a deterrent against any U.S. military activity in the region.

China wants Taiwan back.. and will do anything to make that happen.

The war in Iraq will seem like nothing when China makes a move on re-claiming Taiwan... And then you will see the world's first nuclear exchange.

But maybe diplomacy will work this time?

Gazz

Event Horizon

posted on Apr, 18 2005 @ 04:08 PM

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North Korea reminds me of a bully in school. No one will like him even after he starts being nice to people because the damage is already done. I don’t understand what this man intends to gain by continuing to go against the international community, other than successfully isolating himself and his country.

If China decides to seriously take Taiwan back, I don’t think the United States is prepared to offer such assistance to Taiwan. I think China could forcefully take Taiwan and succeed while the international community sits back and debates what to do. I truly feel the US is dreading this because they know that they will have to respond and who knows what will happen after that. It will be an international disaster.

[edit on 18-4-2005 by Event Horizon]

TsarPhoenix5

posted on Apr, 18 2005 @ 07:06 PM

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Originally posted by UM_Gazz
North Korea; Just a puppet of China!

China has about as much control over North Korea as the US has over Israel. They are ideologically similar and China is the closest thing N. Korea has resembling an ally, but China can't easily get N. Korea to cooperate much of the time, and has recently been chastising N. Korea for its inability to stop thugs from crossing the border into Manchuria.

No one can argue that the PRC wants Taiwan under its power, but I highly doubt they would risk nuclear war to do it. The PRC, despite its oppressive regime, is rapidly becoming modern and, some may argue, even affluent. Taiwan is not worth throwing all that away, and as long as the status quo is maintained (ie, Taiwan is not given UN recognition), I doubt they'll make any military moves against the island.

Remember, also, that China sponsored talks between the two Koreas, the US, Japan, and Russia. A nuclear capable North Korea is almost as much of a threat to them as it is to the West.

Ahem, sorry for the China rant. Maybe this is N. Korea's way of saying, "Hey, look at me!" to the US. Even they still have little to gain from nuking someone else, but nuclear weapons are still a status symbol in international dealings.

Seekerof

posted on Apr, 18 2005 @ 07:34 PM

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Just another Nirth Korean step in the game of "chicken" and escalation.
China's control over North Korea has long since faded.
Kim is a man asserting his own agenda, and yes, it does run contrary to China's.
China has to talk and act with caution towards North Korea, just as the US does. Why? Beijing is well within the LOS of North Korean nukes.

This current situation, as reported in the original article of this topic, implies that North Korea will now be able to easily double its nuclear weaponry.
Certainly of considerable worry, for both China and the US. The difference here is that the US is saying so, whereas, China is not. Traditionally, it would be a sign of weakness to do so.

seekerof

[edit on 18-4-2005 by Seekerof]

Event Horizon

posted on Apr, 21 2005 @ 04:13 PM

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Heres two more links on the subject that are interesting.

news.bbc.co.uk...

www.kimsoft.com...

Event Horizon

posted on Apr, 22 2005 @ 12:38 PM

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The latest, Kim Yong Nam told reporters on Saturday that they are developing nuclear weapons for self defense. Nam has been saying this for awhile but this would explain why the reactor is currently shutdown. I guess we now know the real reason North Korea's main reactor was shutdown a few weeks ago. Who knows how much spent fuel they have harvested this time. Heres the article:

North Korea Says Nukes Needed for Defense

[edit on 22-4-2005 by Event Horizon]

grover

posted on Apr, 23 2005 @ 06:22 AM

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nukes in the hands of george bush and the funnymentalists worry me. They want the world to end. we would all be better off if they heaven's gated themselves.

krt1967

posted on May, 11 2005 @ 05:43 AM

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Guess they have decided to take the next step.

www.foxnews.com...

This is cause for concern. Stock up on water, better to be safe than sorry.

drogo

posted on May, 11 2005 @ 06:12 AM

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nice pictures. how much time between them? i say that as there are quite a few differances in the buildings, so much that i wasn't sure that it was the same place. i am asumeing that there is several years between them.

game of chicken? hmm interesting statement as it takes two to play chicken.

like i have stated before. though i personaly would rather not have nk haveing nukes. that there is not a realy good enough reason to be hypicritical and say that they can't have them. as long as some countries have them, their realy is no reason others should't have them. actualy the fact that some countries have nukes is all the reason for others to be able to have them as well.

mythatsabigprobe

posted on May, 11 2005 @ 06:44 AM

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Originally posted by drogo
nice pictures. how much time between them? i say that as there are quite a few differances in the buildings, so much that i wasn't sure that it was the same place. i am asumeing that there is several years between them.

The only difference I can see in the photo's is there's no steam coming from the cooling tower in the second shot. The pics are reversed, different resolution and scale, so they look completely different at first.

One thing that's odd is that there's hardly any vehicles in either pic and the whole facility looks very old. I don't even see any security around the plant... Does anybody think this could be a dummy plant to fool the satellites? The only thing that looks typical of a nuclear reactor is the cooling tower and the rest could be any collection of old buidlings. It actually looks more like a sawmill and lumber yard to me.