South Korea Retracts Claim That North Korea Is Preparing For A Fourth Nuclear Test

North Korea: Seoul Says Fourth Nuclear Test Is Not Imminent -- The Guardian

South Korean defence ministry retracts claim regime preparing for test despite reporting increased activity at site

South Korea has retracted claims that North Korea is preparing to conduct a fourth nuclear test, hours after the unification minister in Seoul said there were signs of increased activity at the North's main testing site.

But as officials in Seoul dampened speculation over a nuclear test, North Korea said it would withdraw its workers from the Kaesong industrial zone, a venture with the South located north of the heavily armed border separating the countries.

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Update #1: North Korea Nuclear Test: South Korean Official Says He Misspoke About Test Preparations -- Huffington Post/AP
Update #2: Kim Jong-un nuclear test fears ramped up by bungling South Korean official -- The SUN

My Comment: This is amateur hour from the South Koreans.

Another Missile AND Nuclear Test In North Korea?

A missile is fired during a drill at an undisclosed location in this picture released by North Korea's official KCNA news agency March 20, 2013. Voice of America

North Korea May Be Planning A Nuclear Test And Missile Launch - Reports -- The Australian

LATEST: NORTH Korea is showing "signs'' of preparing a fourth nuclear test, South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-Jae has said, with reports of stepped up activity at its main atomic test site.

"There are such signs,'' Ryoo told a parliamentary committee hearing when lawmakers asked him to confirm the reports.

A South Korean government source had earlier tipped off the Joong Ang Daily newpaper that the North was preparing the site.

This comes on the heels of the South’s defence ministry reports that Pyongyang could perform a mid-range missile test-launch by Wednesday – also the deadline it has given to foreign diplomats to evacuate, as their safety would reportedly no longer be guaranteed by the government.

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More News On North Korea May Be Planning A Nuclear Test And Missile Launch

N. Korea May Conduct Missile-Nuclear Tests: South -- Bloomberg Businessweek
North Korea ‘is preparing for fourth nuclear test’ -- The Times
North Korea May Be Preparing New Nuclear Test:Report -- Reuters
SKorea: 'Indication' NKorea prepping for nuke test -- Houston Chronicle/AP
North Korea preparing nuclear test, South Korea says -- BBC
North Korea 'preparing new nuclear test' -- Sydney Morning Herald
Report: North Korea readying for fourth nuclear test -- YNet News
North Korea Could Launch Missile This Week - Report -- RIA Novosti
S Korea: North May Be Preparing Missile Launch -- Voice of America
South Korea Prepares for Possible North Korea Missile Test Launch -- ABC news

North Korea Tells China It Is Prepared To Stage One Or Even Two More Nuclear Tests This Year

Exclusive: North Korea Tells China Of Preparations For Fresh Nuclear Test -- Reuters

North Korea has told its key ally, China, that it is prepared to stage one or even two more nuclear tests this year in an effort to force the United States into diplomatic talks with Pyongyang, said a source with direct knowledge of the message.

Further tests could also be accompanied this year by another rocket launch, said the source who has direct access to the top levels of government in both Beijing and Pyongyang.

The isolated regime conducted its third nuclear test on Tuesday, drawing global condemnation and a stern warning from the United States that it was a threat and a provocation.

"It's all ready. A fourth and fifth nuclear test and a rocket launch could be conducted soon, possibly this year," the source said, adding that the fourth nuclear test would be much larger than the third at an equivalent of 10 kilotons of TNT.

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Update: North Korea may stage two more nuclear tests this year, source says -- The Guardian

My Comment: No comment on what was the Chinese reaction to this North Korean message.

Commentaries, Opinions, And Analysis On North Korea's Nuclear Test

North Korea Is A Nuclear Power -- Andrei Lankov, Foreign Policy

And it’s time for the West to get used to it.

Any hopes that the first year of the young North Korean dictator's reign would signal a departure from his father Kim Jong Il's hardline policies have been dashed. The boyish looking (and, indeed, seriously young -- probably 29 years old) Kim Jong Un has so far proved himself to be a loyal son, following in his father's footsteps, while at the same time delivering results his father could only dream about.

On Feb. 12, North Korea successfully conducted its third nuclear test -- judging by initial reports, the device that exploded in a remote part of North Korea on Tuesday morning was both smaller and more powerful than those tested in 2006 and 2009. South Korea's defense ministry estimated the yield of the recent test at 6 to 7 kilotons. That's less than half the yield of the bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 but likely larger than North Korea's last nuclear test, which had an estimated yield of 2 to 6 kilotons -- and much bigger than the 2006 test, which was largely regarded as a fizzle.

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More Commentaries, Opinions, And Analysis On North Korea's Nuclear Test

N. Korea’s Kim More Intent on Nukes Than Dad Was: Analysis -- Joohee Cho, ABC News
North Korea nuclear test analysis: a desperate and misguided negotiation tactic -- The Telegraph
NKorea brandishing nukes to get US to talk peace -- Jean H. Lee, AP
North Korea's Nuclear Test: Taunting Obama on the Eve of His SOTU Speech -- Michael Hirsh, The Atlantic
Nuclear Test Poses Big Challenge to China’s New Leader -- Jane Perlez, New York Times
Analysts: Even China may not be able to stop N. Korea -- Oren Dorell, USA Today
North Korea Nuke Test Could Test China’s Patience -- Christopher Bodeen, Time/AP
Why China still supports North Korea, in six little words -- Max Fisher, Washington Post
North Korea crisis: China speaks softly to avoid alienating nuclear-armed neighbor -- Ed Flanagan, NBC News
North Korea playing nuclear card -- Daily Yomiuri
North Korea nuclear test analysis: a desperate and misguided negotiation tactic -- The Telegraph
Time for long-term solution with North Korea? -- Heather Williams, Special to CNN
Kim Jong-un may well be planning an economic dawn -- Greg Sheridan, The Australian
North’s move long expected by West -- Ananth Krishnan, The Hindu
World's Eyes On China After North Korean Nuclear Test (Audio) -- NPR
North Korea on the Home Stretch: Deprive Pyongyang of resources so it has no choice but to give up the bomb. -- Wall Street Journal
North Korea nuclear test raises uranium concerns -- Jonathan Marcus, BBC
North Korea's nuke test encourages Iran -- YNet News
What does North Korea's nuclear test reveal? -- Space Daily/AFP
What happens with an underground nuclear test? -- CNN
North Korea’s latest nuke stunt signals country closer to missile capability, experts say -- FOX News
How dangerous is North Korea's nuclear programme? -- Channel 4 News
North Korea tests ‘miniaturized’ nuclear device; may be seeking warhead for ballistic missile -- McClatchy News
Here's How North Korea's Nuclear Test Appeared On The World Earthquake Map -- Business Insider
Q&A: North Korea finally conducts nuclear test, what now? -- CNN
Timeline: N Korea nuclear stand-off -- BBC

World Condemns North Korea For It's Nuclear Test

U.N. Condemns North Korea Nuclear Test, Promises Action -- USA Today

President Obama calls for swift and credible action; China and Russia also condemn the North's third successful nuclear test.

BEIJING - Several nations including the United States and China assailed North Korea on Tuesday for conducting a nuclear test, and the United Nations Security Council called the test "a clear threat to international peace and security."

The Security Council issued a statement citing a resolution it approved unanimously last month that stepped up sanctions and promised "significant action" in the event of a new nuclear test.

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More News On World Reaction To North Korea's Nuclear Test

China joins U.S., Japan in condemning North Korea nuclear test -- Reuters
UN Security Council condemns North Korean nuclear test -- Reuters
World leaders react to North Korea nuclear test -- CNN
World powers condemn North Korea nuclear test -- Al Jazeera
UN Security Council strongly condemns North Korean nuclear test, pledges further action -- Washington Post/AP
North Korea nuclear test sparks Asia protests -- BBC
UN Security Council Meets on North Korea Nuclear Test -- Voice of America
North Korea nuclear test denounced by major powers -- Irish Times
Tough U.N. action vowed after North Korean nuclear test -- CNN
Obama, world condemn North Korean nuke test, which packed punch of a moderate earthquake -- New York Daily News
North Korea nuclear test condemned by UN, US, China and South Korea -- The Australian/AFP/AP
North Korean Nuke Blast Condemned -- Moscow Times
North Korea tests third nuclear device, prompting emergency UN meeting -- Christian Science Monitor
North Korea nuclear test fails to ruffle South Korean feathers -- The Guardian

North Korea Confirms A Successful 3rd Nuclear Test

N. Korea’s Nuclear Test Raises Tension, Shows Progress Toward Viable Weapon -- Washington Post

SEOUL — With its detonation Tuesday of a “smaller and light” nuclear device, North Korea moved closer to its top technological goal: building an atomic weapon small enough to mount on a long-range missile.

Such a capability, if North Korea achieves it, would turn the secretive police state from a regional menace into a global one and raise the stakes for neighboring and Western countries, including the United States, that have so far been unable to influence Pyongyang’s behavior.

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More News On North Korea's Nuclear Test

North Korea Live -- Reuters
North Korea nuclear test: Live Report -- AFP
North Korea nuclear test: live -- The Telegraph
North Korea -- The Guardian
Updates: North Korea Conducts Third Nuclear Test -- Time
North Korea nuke test: LIVE UPDATES -- RT
North Korea nuclear test suspected: Live Report -- Bangkok Post
North Korea detonates bomb in 3rd nuclear test (LIVE BLOG) -- Global Post

North Korea Advises China, US Ahead Of 6 Kt Atomic Bomb Test -- Space Daily/AFP
U.S. received notice from North Korea before nuclear test: State Department -- Reuters
North Korea Confirms It Conducted 3rd Nuclear Test -- New York Times
North Korea confirms third nuclear test -- Washington Post
North Korea confirms it conducted nuclear test -- CBS/AP
North Korea confirms 'miniaturised' nuclear test -- AFP
North Korea Says it Has Successfully Conducted a Nuclear Test -- ABC News
North Korea Conducts Third Nuclear Device in Defiance of UN -- Bloomberg Businessweek
South Korea: North Korea conducts nuclear test -- NBC
North Korea says it successfully conducts nuclear test -- NBC
Pyongyang Nuclear Test Detected -- Wall Street Journal
North Korea appears to conduct 3rd nuclear test, officials and experts say -- CNN
North Korea confirms 'successful' nuclear test -- The Telegraph
North Korea nuclear test takes place -- The Guardian
North Korea earthquake was a nuclear test, UN official says -- The Australian
North Korea says it conducted nuclear test -- Al Jazeera
N. Korea confirms 'successful' 3rd nuclear test - state media -- RT

North Korea's Nuclear Test - Live Reporting

North Korea Live -- Reuters
North Korea nuclear test: Live Report -- AFP
North Korea nuclear test: live -- The Telegraph
North Korea -- The Guardian
Updates: North Korea Conducts Third Nuclear Test -- Time
North Korea nuke test: LIVE UPDATES -- RT
North Korea nuclear test suspected: Live Report -- Bangkok Post
North Korea detonates bomb in 3rd nuclear test (LIVE BLOG) -- Global Post

North Korea Conducts 3rd Nuclear Test -- A News Roundup

North Korea Conducts Third Nuclear Test, Sparks Condemnation -- Reuters

(Reuters) - North Korea conducted its third-ever nuclear test on Tuesday, a move likely to anger its main ally China and increase international action against Pyongyang and its new young leader, Kim Jong-un.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned North Korea's test, saying it was a "clear and grave violation" of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

South Korea said the size of the seismic activity indicated a nuclear explosion slightly larger than the North's two previous tests at 6-7 kilotons, although that is still relatively small. The Hiroshima bomb was around 20 kilotons.

The U.S. Geological Survey said that a seismic event measuring 5.1 magnitude had occurred on Tuesday, with North Korea later confirming the nuclear test.

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More News On North Korea Announcing A Successful Nuclear Test

North Korea Confirms It Conducted 3rd Nuclear Test -- New York Times
North Korea confirms third nuclear test -- Washington Post
North Korea confirms it conducted nuclear test -- CBS/AP
North Korea confirms 'miniaturised' nuclear test -- AFP
North Korea Says it Has Successfully Conducted a Nuclear Test -- ABC News
North Korea Conducts Third Nuclear Device in Defiance of UN -- Bloomberg Businessweek
South Korea: North Korea conducts nuclear test -- NBC
North Korea says it successfully conducts nuclear test -- NBC
Pyongyang Nuclear Test Detected -- Wall Street Journal
North Korea appears to conduct 3rd nuclear test, officials and experts say -- CNN
North Korea confirms 'successful' nuclear test -- The Telegraph
North Korea nuclear test takes place -- The Guardian
North Korea earthquake was a nuclear test, UN official says -- The Australian
North Korea says it conducted nuclear test -- Al Jazeera
N. Korea confirms 'successful' 3rd nuclear test - state media -- RT
North Korea confirms nuclear test, defying U.N.; South Korea calls for Security Council to meet -- Miami Herald/McClatchy News
Japan holding security meeting after N.Korea nuclear test report: NHK -- Reuters
U.N. Security Council to meet Tuesday on North Korea nuclear test -- Reuters

WNU Editor: This is a breaking news story. We will be updating it throughout the day.

World Waits For North Korea's Impending Nuclear Test

Will North Korea Time Its Third Nuclear Test To Coincide With Kim Jong-il's Birthday? -- Christian Science Monitor

Dates and numbers have great symbolic importance to North Korea, so Pyongyang often schedules what Washington calls 'provocative acts' around holidays and important political events.


North Korea vowed last month to carry out its third nuclear test but has said nothing about timing. As a result, the building suspense in Seoul has prompted many to look at the dates Pyongyang has chosen for past atomic tests, as well as rocket and missile launches.

Dates and numbers have great symbolic importance to North Korea's government. So Pyongyang often schedules what Washington calls "provocative acts" around US holidays and important South Korean political events, an effort to send none-too-subtle messages to its main enemies — Washington and Seoul. Pyongyang also uses the tests to give a nationalistic boost to its citizens, often favoring significant milestones of the state, party and ruling Kim family.

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More News On Reports That North Korea Is Preparing A Nuclear Test

North Korea May Test Several Nuclear Devices at Once, South Says -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Could North Korea be planning multiple nuclear tests? (+video) -- Christian Science Monitor
'Multiple' N Korea tests warning -- BBC
When will North Korea hold nuclear test? The answer is probably the next holiday in the United States -- National Post/AP
North Korea threatens "stronger" measures than nuclear test -- Reuters
North Korea threatens to take 'stronger measure' than third nuclear test -- RT
China state media: North Korea would 'pay a heavy price' for nuclear test -- NBC
China media: Pyongyang warned -- BBC
China 'should exact heavy price from North Korea for nuclear test' -- The Telegraph
China Urged to Take Tough Stance if N. Korea Conducts Nuclear Test -- Voice of America
US, China discuss NKorea as it plans nuclear test -- Washington Post
China worries North Korea may turn against it: Daily -- Hindustan Times

South Korean Diplomat: North Korea Nuclear Test Imminent

North Korea May Conduct Double Nuke Test -- ABC News

Military sources have told a South Korean media outlet that satellite images suggest the communist North could be preparing two nuclear tests, rather than a single detonation.

The report in the Chosun Ilbo newspaper in Seoul suggests the two nuclear tests could be conducted either simultaneously or in quick succession.

That assessment is based on satellite images showing brisk activity at two tunnels at the nuclear test site in the closed communist state.

But the source admits one of the tunnels could be a decoy.

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More News On Reports That North Korea Is Preparing For A Nuclear Test

You Might Want to Be Prepared For Two North Korean Nuclear Tests -- Atlantic Wire
North Korea 'preparing for two nuclear tests' -- The Telegraph
SKorea Envoy Says NKorea Nuke Test Seems Imminent -- ABC News/AP
Tunnel use hints at N. Korean nuke test -- UPI
North Korea third test possible -- Sydney Morning Herald
Kim Jong-un fuels rumours of nuclear test -- The Telegraph
North Korea nuclear test would face "firm" U.N. action: South Korea -- Reuters
South Korea Wants 'Strong Action' If North Korea Performs Nuclear Test -- International Business Times
S. Korea Expands Efforts Against Possible North Nuclear Test -- Bloomberg Businessweek
U.S., allies warn North Korea against 'provocative' moves -- CNN
For South Koreans, a familiar tone from Pyongyang -- Madison Park, CNN
What to Expect from a North Korean Nuclear Test -- Siegfried S. Hecker, Foreign Policy

North Korea Prepares For A Nuclear Test

Punggye-ri nuclear test facility in North Korea. (Pic: Google Maps)

North Korea Covers Tunnel at Nuclear Test Site -- New York Times

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has put a cover over the entrance of a tunnel at its main underground nuclear test site to foil American intelligence efforts to determine whether a detonation there is imminent, a South Korean military official and media reported on Friday.

The news comes a day after a South Korean general said “brisk” activity had been spotted at the site. North Korea has said it will conduct a third nuclear test to retaliate against the United Nations Security Council’s unanimous decision last month to respond to a rocket test by tightening sanctions on the country. The North’s media cited the country’s top leader, Kim Jong-un, as ordering his military and government last week to take “high-profile” measures, suggesting that the test might happen soon despite international warnings against it.

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More News On North Korea Preparing For A Nuclear Test

Here's the North Korean Nuclear Site That They're Trying to Hide From the World -- The Atlantic
North Korea 'Hides Nuclear Test Site Tunnel' -- SKY News
North Korea Has Reportedly Camouflaged Its Nuclear Test Site -- Business Insider/AFP
U.S.: North Korean nuclear test 'soon' -- CNN
US Navy Chief Warns Pyongyang Over Nuclear Threats -- Voice of America
North Korea warned on nuclear test -- UPI
S. Korea warns North: Don't conduct another nuclear test -- CBS/AP
S. Korea Issues Warning to North Against Nuclear Test -- Voice of America
South Korea warns of tough measures as North nuclear test seen imminent -- Reuters
North Korea’s Nuclear Needs -- Council On Foreign Relations
North Korea Nuclear Test: What Will Pyongyang's Scientists Explode? -- Huffington Post/AP
Mounting nuclear and missile menace -- The Hill

North Korea Readies To Conduct Nuclear Test

Analyst: North Korea Readies to Conduct Nuclear Test -- Voice of America

A U.S. research institute devoted to analysis of North Korea says the country's nuclear site is in a high state of readiness to conduct another nuclear test.

Joel Wit, the founder of 38 North website, said satellite images show that such a test could be conducted within weeks if ordered by Pyongyang.

"What we see is a lot of activity at the site and it's easy for us to see that because there has been snow there and you can see that the roads that are in use are not covered with snow, nor are a lot of the footpaths in the area near the test tunnel," he said.

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Update #1: North Korea defiant over planned nuclear test -- Al Jazeera
Update #2: North Korean leader orders 'substantial' action: Is it a nuclear test? -- Christian Science Monitor

My Comment: The North Koreans have already notified the Chinese that they are going to conduct a nuclear test. I guess the question now is .... when.

North Korea's Upgraded Nuclear Test Site Is Ready

Location of possible command bunker at suspected nuclear test tunnel at Pung-gye-Ri nuclear test site in North Korea

Revealed: North Korea's Upgraded Nuke Test Site -- CNN

Satellite imagery of a North Korean nuclear test site identifies what could be key installations that would likely play a prominent role if Kim Jong Un orders a test, which the government threatened to do on Thursday.

The analysis of the Pung-gye-Ri Nuclear Test site by U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University’s 38 North blog shows recently completed structures essential to an underground nuclear weapons test.

One is believed to be a command and control bunker. Another photo shows what appears to be a radio relay system that zigzags through a valley, which the 38North analysts believe could be used as part of a communications system linking the bunker to the North Korean leadership in Pyongyang.

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My Comment: I guess they are serious about conducting their third nuclear test.

North Korea To Conduct Nuclear And Rocket Tests Directed At The U.S.

North Korea To Target U.S. With Nuclear, Rocket Tests -- Reuters

(Reuters) - North Korea said on Thursday it would carry out further rocket launches and a nuclear test that would target the United States, dramatically stepping up its threats against a country it called its "enemy".

The announcement by the country's top military body came a day after the United Nations Security Council agreed a U.S.-backed resolution to censure and sanction the country for a rocket launch in December that breached U.N. rules.

"We are not disguising the fact that the various satellites and long-range rockets that we will fire and the high-level nuclear test we will carry out are targeted at the United States," North Korea's National Defence Commission said, according to state news agency KCNA.

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More News On North Korea's Announcement That They Will Be Conducting Nuclear And Rocket Tests Directed At The U.S.

North Korea plans to target US in nuclear test -- The Guardian
North Korea Threatens to Conduct Nuclear Test That Targets U.S. -- Bloomberg Businessweek
N. Korea nuclear test may target U.S. -- UPI
North Korea says a new nuclear test will be part of fight against U.S. -- CNN
North Korea Threatens Nuclear Test Targeting U.S. -- NPR
North Korea Hints at New Nuclear Test in Rebuke to U.N. -- New York Times
North Korea says plans nuclear test -- AFP
N.Korea Plans to Conduct Third Nuclear Test -- Voice of America
North Korea Defense Body Vows Nuclear Test - Agency -- RIA Novosti
North Korea plans new nuclear test, threatens to target US -- RT
North Korea's Plan to Target the US in a Nuclear Test Sounds Horrifying -- The Atlantic

Another North Korea Nuclear Test In The Works?

North Korea Hints At Nuclear Test After UN Sanctions -- The Australian/AFP

NORTH Korea has reacted defiantly to a new round of UN sanctions, hinting that it would carry out a nuclear test and ruling out any talks on denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

"We will take physical actions aimed at expanding and strengthening our self-defensive military forces, including nuclear deterrence," the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The statement came hours after the UN Security Council unanimously ordered new sanctions against North Korea for a banned rocket launch last month and threatened "significant action" if it stages a nuclear test.

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My Comment: I would not be surprised if North Korea conducts a nuclear test .... but what is surprising is how the Chinese are viewing such a possible test .... and their explanation for why North Korea is doing what they are doing while also saying (at the same time) that they should not.

Report: North Korea Has Warned China That They Will Be Conducting A Nuclear Test Next Week

Image: © Collage "The Voice of Russia"

N. Korea Tells China Planning Nuclear Test: Report -- Space Daily/AFP

A North Korean official has apparently told Chinese authorities that the communist state is planning to conduct a third nuclear test in the coming week, a news report said Saturday.

"We've heard a North Korean official in Beijing told the Chinese side that the North planned to carry out a nuclear test between January 13-20," the Joongang Ilbo daily quoted an unidentified Seoul official as saying.

South Korean officials have a policy of not commenting on intelligence matters.

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More News On Reports That North Korea Is Planning To Conduct A Nuclear Test Next Week

North Korea may conduct another nuclear test – periodical -- Voice of Russia
ITAR-TASS: North Korea may carry out new nuclear tests next week -- iFocus
N. Korea tells China planning nuclear test: report -- Malay Mail
North Korea is ready to conduct a third nuclear test, satellite photos show -- National Post/AP
North Korea is nuclear test-ready: US think-tank -- Channel News Asia
N Korea looks to be ready for nuke test -- News.com.au

Does North Korea Have A Super EMP Weapon?

North Korea EMP Attack Could Destroy U.S. — Now -- Peter Vincent Pry, Washington Times

Obama must take immediate action.

North Korea now has an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of delivering a nuclear weapon to the United States, as demonstrated by their successful launch and orbiting of a satellite on Dec. 12. Certain poorly informed pundits among the chattering classes reassure us that North Korea is still years away from being able to miniaturize warheads for missile delivery, and from developing sufficiently accurate missiles to pose a serious nuclear threat to the United States. Philip Yun, director of San Francisco’s Ploughshares Fund, a nuclear disarmament group, reportedly said, “The real threat from the launch was an overreaction that would lead to more defense spending on unnecessary systems. The sky is not falling. We shouldn’t be panicked.”

In fact, North Korea is a mortal nuclear threat to the United States— right now.

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My Comment: I have always been skeptical when it comes to North Korean missiles and nuclear weapons. They have a formidable non-conventional force .... and they have conducted nuclear tests that produced minimum kiloton yields .... but a 'super-emp' weapon .... I have seen zero evidence that supports such a claim.

Did North Korea Conduct A Nuclear Test In 2010

Image: Locations of the 2006 and 2009 North Korea nuclear tests, as well as the monitoring stations in the area that pick up seismic waves. Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory

Did North Korea Really Light Up A Nuke in 2010? -- Popular Mechanics

North Korea shocked the world in 2006 and 2008 when it detonated nuclear warheads in underground chambers. So when Lars-Erik De Geer, a researcher with the Swedish Defense Research Agency, published a paper early this year claiming evidence of low-yield nuclear detonations in 2010, it seemed feasible. His evidence is a spike in radionuclides—isotopes of xenon and argon that are produced by a nuclear weapon—picked up by detectors in Asia. There was one problem with the theory: Nuclear detonations shake seismic monitors, and scientists at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory who looked at his paper found no evidence of a sufficiently large explosion, throwing the existence of a clandestine test in doubt. We talked to Paul Richards of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, who co-authored the paper questioning De Geer’s conclusions. (We also tried to talk to De Greer but were told by staff at the Swedish Defense Research Agency that he was retired and "cannot be reached.")

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More News And Speculation That North Korea Conducted A Nuclear Test In 2010

2010 North Korea Bomb 'Tests' Probably False Alarms, Says Study -- Newsroom America
2010 Korea bomb 'tests' probably false alarms, says study -- Science Codex
Threatwatch: Can we really spot covert nuclear tests? -- New Scientist

Expectations Are For An Imminent North Korean Nuclear Test

Photo: A satellite image of the North Korean nuclear test site was taken April 18 by the GeoEye commercial satellite company and shows stepped-up activity in preparation for a nuclear test, say researchers at the U.S.-Korea Institute of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. Credit: 38 North website

Expectation Grows For Potential North Korean Nuclear Test -- Voice of America

North Korea is giving no official indication it is preparing a third attempted nuclear test. But reports abroad say such an underground detonation could come at any time.

Some regional media outlets are reporting a North Korea nuclear test is expected between early and mid-May.

One report, in the Joong-Ang Ilbo in South Korea, quotes a diplomatic source in Washington as saying the United States has told South Korea such a detonation could occur as soon as this week.

Asked about that, a U.S. diplomat in Seoul replied the Embassy does not comment on “security matters.”

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More News On Reports Of An Imminent North Korean Nuclear Test

NK nuclear test seen 'imminent' -- Korea Times
Satellite images show activity at N. Korea nuclear site -- RT
N.Korean Nuclear Test 'Within 2 Weeks' -- Chosun Ilbo
N. Korea may conduct nuclear test this week, U.S. tells Seoul: report -- The Mainichi
Satellite photos show intense activity at N. Korea nuclear site -- L.A. Times
Satellite photos show preparations for new North Korea nuclear test -- The Telegraph
North Korea nuclear test 'could take place this week' -- The Telegraph
South Korea, U.S. Will Work to Meet North Korea Nuclear Threat -- Bloomberg
S. Korea envoy to visit China amid nuke test concern -- AFP
Iranian scientists may attend N. Korea nuclear test -- Jerusalem Post

Russia Is Expecting A North Korean Nuclear Test

Russia Expects North Korea Nuclear Test -- The Telegraph

Russia has raised the alert level for its forces in the Far East as it expects North Korea to carry out an underground nuclear test within the next week.

The decision to raise the military's level of alert is based on specific intelligence, a security official in the Russian Far East command told Kyodo News. A spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Tokyo declined to comment on the reports.

Any nuclear test by North Korea would trigger further international condemnation, particularly as it comes hard on the heels of Pyongyang going ahead with the launch of what it claims was a rocket designed to put a satellite into orbit.

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More News On Concerns Of An Impeding North Korea Nuclear Test

North Korea Poised to Rattle Region With Nuclear Blast -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Exclusive: North Korea's nuclear test ready "soon" -- Reuters
N. Korea's Neighbors Oppose New Nuclear Test -- Voice of America
Why is North Korea threatening to conduct a nuclear test? -- Donal Kirk, Christian Science Monitor
North Korea's nuclear tests -- BBC

My Comment: The Russians have very good contacts in the North Korean government. Their prediction is probably right.