Tag: Nuclear Weapons

North Korea to hold nuclear dismantling ceremony; Invites journalists

Castle Romeo (yield 11 Mt) – an atmospheric nuclear test carried out by the U.S. on 1 March 1954 at Bikini Atoll, Marshal Islands. It was the third largest test ever detonated by the United States the first deployed thermonuclear device. Image in the public domain Image: U.S Government

Photo: The Official CTBTO Photostream

Press Release of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Date: 05/12/2018

Pyongyang, May 12 (KCNA) — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea issued a following press release on Saturday:

In accordance with the decision of the Third Plenary Meeting of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Nuclear Weapon Institute and other concerned institutions are taking technical measures for dismantling the northern nuclear test ground of the DPRK in order to ensure transparency of discontinuance of the nuclear test.

A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and 25, depending on weather condition.

Dismantlement of the nuclear test ground will be done in the following sequence-making all tunnels of the test ground collapse by explosion; completely blocking entries; removing all observation facilities, research institutes and structures of guard units on the ground.

In parallel with dismantlement of the nuclear test ground, guards and researchers will be withdrawn and the surrounding area of the test ground be completely closed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK is authorized, in this regard, to release the following decisions.

First, it has intention to allow not only the local press but also journalists of other countries to conduct on-the-spot coverage in order to show in a transparent manner the dismantlement of the northern nuclear test ground to be carried out in accordance with the decision of the Third Plenary Meeting of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

In due consideration of small space of the test ground, journalists from other countries will be confined to those from China, Russia, United States, United Kingdom and south Korea.

Second, the following steps will be taken for providing convenience of visit and coverage to international journalists.

1) All international journalists will be provided with charter flight from Beijing to Wonsan, and other related steps such as opening territorial air space will be taken.

2) Special accommodation will be arranged in Wonsan for stay of the international journalists, and press center be set up for their use.

3) Special charter train will be arranged from Wonsan to the northern nuclear test ground for the international journalists.

4) In consideration of the fact that the test ground is located in the uninhabited deep mountain area, the international journalists will be accommodated in the special charter train and be provided with appropriate conveniences.

5) Necessary conditions and cooperation will be provided to the international journalists so that they can transmit at the press center about dismantlement of the test ground which they have covered on the spot.

The DPRK will, also in the future, promote close contacts and dialogue with the neighboring countries and the international society so as to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and over the globe. -0-

Completion of ‘nuke force’ in New Year’s message from Kim Jong Un?

Licorne test 1971, French Polynesia
Photo: The Official CTBTO Photostream

N.K. leader may make official completion of ‘nuke force’ in New Year’s message: Seoul

SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may make the completion of its nuclear program official in his New Year’s message, a Seoul official said Tuesday.

The North announced last week that it has completed its “state nuclear force” with the launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which it claims is capable of striking anywhere in the United States.

Kim is likely to declare the achievement in his New Year’s speech, a South Korean unification ministry official said.

“After that, the North may unveil its stance on how to carry out the so-called byongjin policy,” the official said, referring to Kim’s signature dual-track policy of seeking nuclear armament and economic growth in tandem.

Seoul has rejected Pyongyang’s unilateral claim to have completed its nuclear program, saying that there are doubts about the North’s missile capability, including the re-entry and terminal guidance technology.

Experts said that the North is likely to shift its focus to ways to bolster its feeble economy in the face of tougher international sanctions.

The ministry official also said that there is a need to watch how or whether the North would hold a meeting of “Mallima pacesetters.”

Mallima is an imaginary horse that can run extreme distances at a very high speed. The term is used in North Korea to highlight the country’s push to get people to produce results quickly.

North Korea announced in January its plan to hold a conference under the new slogan for self-reliance at the end of this year. The conference would involve top performers who are leading efforts to overcome the country’s economic difficulties. But the North’s media has barely mentioned it.

North Korea’s Submarine Ballistic Missile Program Moves Ahead: Indications of Shipbuilding & Missile Ejection Testing

38 North is a project of The US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

38 North is a website devoted to informed analysis of North Korea.

While it strives to break new ground, the site’s main objective is to bring the best possible analysis to both seasoned North Korea watchers and general audiences alike. Too often analysis of the North is permeated by inexperience, littered with inaccurate information or grounded in poorly deduced reasoning. We believe no one really knows for sure what is going on in North Korea, but we can at least try to understand the possibilities. Similarly, anyone who professes certainty should be viewed with the greatest skepticism.

To accomplish these objectives, 38 North harnesses the experience of long-time observers of North Korea and others who have dealt directly with North Koreans. It draws on other experts outside the field who might bring fresh, well-informed insights to those of us who follow North Korea.

38 North covers not only North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction, but digs beneath the surface of political, economic, social and other developments. North Korea is not a hermit kingdom, but rather a country that has been in the throes of change, good and bad, for over a decade. Those changes have important implications for the Korean peninsula, the East Asian region and the international community.

38 North strives as much as possible for ideological balance, publishing opposing opinions, and utilizes various technologies to analyze military, economic, social and other developments north of the DMZ. While it is an American-based project, it draws on experts from around the world to provide international perspectives as well.

To read this newly published analysis of North Korea’s Submarine Ballistic Missile Program and to view current satellite imagery of the Sinpo South Shipyard:

 

http://www.38north.org/2017/11/sinpo111617/

Resolution on Human Rights in the DPRK, co-tabled by Japan & European Union (EU)

Adoption of the Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) at the Third Committee of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly
(Statement by Foreign Minister Taro Kono of japan)

  1. 1. Japan welcomes the fact that on November 15, 2017 (November 14 local time), at the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly currently being held in New York, the Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the DPRK, co-tabled by Japan and the European Union (EU), was adopted by consensus (The resolution has been adopted for 13 consecutive years).

    2. Based on last year’s United Nations General Assembly resolution reflecting the final report of the Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the DPRK presented in February 2014 (PDF), the resolution this year condemns the North Korea’s systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations, and urges the North Korea to urgently take measures to end all human rights violations. In addition, the resolution underscores very serious concerns regarding reports of torture, summary executions, arbitrary detention, abductions and other forms of human rights violations and abuses that North Korea commits against citizens from other countries within and outside of its territory. The resolution also condemns North Korea for diverting its resources into pursuing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles over the welfare of its people. Furthermore, the resolution encourages the United Nations Security Council to take appropriate actions, including through consideration of referral of the situation in the DPRK to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and consideration of the further development of sanctions.

    3. The consensus adoption of the resolution demonstrates the international community’s grave concerns about human rights violations in North Korea, including the abductions issue. Japan continues to strongly urge North Korea to sincerely accept the views of the international community expressed in this resolution and take concrete action towards improving the situation of human rights including the early resolution of the abductions issue and cooperation with the international community.

Command & Control: Deadly Accident at Titan II Missile Complex in Damascus, Arkansas

Command and Control: THE LONG-HIDDEN STORY OF THE DAY OUR LUCK ALMOST RAN OUT

From Robert Kenner, the director of the groundbreaking film Food, Inc., comes Command and Control, the long-hidden story of a deadly accident at a Titan II missile complex in Damascus, Arkansas in 1980.

Based on the critically-acclaimed book by Eric Schlosser, this chilling documentary exposes the terrifying truth about the management of America’s nuclear arsenal and shows what can happen when the weapons built to protect us threaten to destroy us.

Filmed in a decommissioned Titan II missile silo in Arizona, the documentary features the minute-by-minute accounts of Air Force personnel, weapon designers, and first responders who were on the scene that night. 

Command and Control reveals the unlikely chain of events that caused the accident and the feverish efforts to prevent the explosion of a ballistic missile carrying the most powerful nuclear warhead ever built by the United States – a warhead 600 times more powerful than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.

Woven through the Damascus story is a riveting history of America’s nuclear weapons program, from World War II through the Cold War, much of it based on recently declassified documents.

A cautionary tale of freak accidents, near misses, human fallibility and extraordinary heroism, Command and Control forces viewers to confront the great dilemma that the U.S. has faced since the dawn of the nuclear age: how do you manage weapons of mass destruction without being destroyed by them?

Ways to watch:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/command-and-control/