Nuclear weapons test in North Korea on September 3, 2017

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nuclear weapons test in North Korea on September 3, 2017 (North Korea)
Proving Ground
Proving Ground

The nuclear test in North Korea on September 3, 2017 was observed at 03:30:01 UTC . It was the sixth nuclear test conducted in North Korea since the first explosion in 2006.

procedure

Handwritten order from Kim Jong-un to conduct the nuclear test

A vibration registered by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) was classified as a nuclear weapon test with an explosive force of around 50 to 100 kilotons of TNT equivalent , according to reports from the Japanese State Department .

According to USGS, the shock reached magnitude 6.3 on the sky wave magnitude scale , northeast of Sungjibaegam . There, underground nuclear tests were carried out on the secret military test site in Punggye-ri in 2006, 2009, February 2013 and January and September 2016 . About eight minutes later, two collapse quakes were registered in the cavity created by the explosion, the first of which reached magnitude 4.2.

The North Korean government confirmed a few hours later, the successful implementation of its hitherto most nuclear testing and proclaimed it as a successful test of a hydrogen bomb for equipping ICBMs .

Evaluations by NORSAR put the explosive force at around 120 kt based on a magnitude of 5.8. The Japanese Ministry of Defense corrected on September 6, 2017 the classification of explosive power and delivered them into the sequence with 160 kt at what roughly ten times the explosive power of the atomic bomb of Hiroshima corresponds.

Preparations and history

f1Georeferencing Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap

The ignition took place, as in the previous events of the North Korean nuclear weapons program , in a deep in the bedrock of the mountain range sunk shaft . ⊙ International observers had already observed the preparations in 2016 based on the evaluation of satellite images and suspected that another nuclear weapon test would soon be carried out. The localization of the hypocenter of the shock showed that it was at sea ​​level , so that the shaft must have been sunk about 1,300 to 1,700 m deep, since the overburden there reaches heights of almost 1,800  m .

Regularly been used for the construction of pilot plants political prisoners from past political purges of North Korea, in which only about 30 km east located hwasong concentration camp ⊙ were staying.

The prisoners, who were imprisoned for life, were always led to believe that they were working in the mining industry or on a “ subway construction site”. A former overseer who had fled said that none of the workers deployed there never returned to the camp, so there are no eyewitness reports.

The US nuclear weapons specialist Siegfried Hecker estimated as early as November 2016 that the Nyŏngbyŏn nuclear facility in North Korea had enough plutonium to equip around 20 warheads . The capacity is sufficient to be able to breed fissile material for seven more warheads annually .

Reactions

In view of the renewed increase in the explosive power of its nuclear weapons tests demonstrated by North Korea, the reactions of the world public were much sharper than with the five previous nuclear weapons tests. These were in detail:

  • Flag of the United Nations.svg UN Security Council : initially inconsistent; Special session, but no explicit resolution. On September 12th it was unanimously decided to cut back oil deliveries to North Korea and to ban the supply of natural gas altogether.
  • Flag of NATO.svg NATO : had Secretary General Stoltenberg express its concern about the "destabilization and threats to regional and international security".
  • United StatesUnited States United States : demanded oil embargo, financial disadvantages against Kim Jong-un personally and others
  • China People's RepublicPeople's Republic of China People's Republic of China : signaled its approval of an oil embargo, which should not lead to the collapse of the North Korean regime, and carried out a military maneuver to repel a surprise attack
  • RussiaRussia Russia : opted for a "diplomatic solution"
  • JapanJapan Japan : called for an oil embargo and further sanctions and used three JASDF aircraft to investigate possible contamination of the Japanese air sovereignty area
  • AustraliaAustralia Australia : considered evacuating all Australians from South Korea
  • Korea SouthSouth Korea South Korea : urged North Korea to isolate completely, simulating a missile attack on the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in a combat exercise
  • European UnionEuropean Union European Union : called for an oil embargo and the imposition of a general EU trade embargo on North Korea
  • GermanyGermany Germany : called for a trade embargo and the closure of all EU ports for North Korean cargo ships
  • United KingdomUnited Kingdom United Kingdom : recruited the North Korean ambassador and condemned the nuclear test "in the strongest"
  • SwitzerlandSwitzerland Switzerland : offered good offices as a mediator
  • FranceFrance France : urged "steadfastness" from the international community to persuade North Korea to "return unconditionally to the path of dialogue and undertake the full, verifiable and irreversible shutdown of its nuclear and ballistic programs"
  • IsraelIsrael Israel : damn North Korea as a " rogue state "

North Korea's answer

North Korea described the sanctions imposed by the international community as "barbaric" and said on September 14, 2017 21:57 UTC with the further launch of a Hwasong-12 - medium-range missile . This reached a flight distance of 3700 km (around 2300 miles) and an altitude of 770 km (around 478 miles). She flew over Japan , which waived defensive measures, and landed about 2000 km (about 1240 miles) east of the island of Hokkaidō in the Pacific Ocean with no effect . This further missile test by North Korea had already been expected in intelligence circles.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ M 6.3 Explosion - 22km ENE of Sungjibaegam, North Korea. In: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. United States Geological Survey , September 3, 2017, accessed on September 16, 2017 (English, measurement data and technical-scientific information on the nuclear weapon explosion from September 3, 2017).
  2. ↑ a b c d Nuclear test conducted by North Korea, country claims; South Korea responds with drills. CNN , September 4, 2017, accessed September 11, 2017 .
  3. ↑ M 5.1 Nuclear Explosion - 24km ENE of Sungjibaegam, North Korea. In: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. United States Geological Survey , February 12, 2013, accessed on September 16, 2017 (English, measurement data and technical-scientific information on the nuclear weapon explosion from February 12, 2013).
  4. ^ Nation succeeds in test of H-bomb for ICBM. In: The Pyongyang Times . September 3, 2017, accessed September 9, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Vanessa Steinmetz: After the sixth nuclear test: What you need to know about the North Korea conflict. In: Spiegel Online . September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017 .
  6. ↑ North Korean nuke test put at 160 kilotons as Ishiba urges debate on deploying US atomic bombs. In: The Japan Times . September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Hwasong Concentration Camp english.chosun.com, June 3, 2006, last accessed September 15, 2017. ("The Terrible Secrets of N.Korea's Mt. Mantap")
  8. ^ North Korea ready for another nuclear test any time: South Korea. Reuters , September 11, 2016, accessed on September 11, 2017 .
  9. ↑ a b North Korea "begs for war". In: Die Zeit Online. September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  10. ↑ Nuclear conflict: UN Security Council restricts oil deliveries to North Korea. In: zeit.de . September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Economy: NATO condemns North Korea's destabilizing behavior. In: focus.de . September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  12. ↑ a b c d Tobias Matern: Putin wants to solve the North Korea crisis diplomatically. In: sueddeutsche.de . September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  13. ↑ Trump wants Pyongyang to turn off the oil tap. In: Spiegel Online . September 6, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Kinling Lo, Kristin Huang, Catherine Wong: Oil supplies to North Korea could be cut as China's frustration with ally's failure to communicate grows. In: South China Morning Post . September 5, 2017, accessed September 9, 2017 .
  15. ↑ Nuclear conflict with North Korea: China exercises defense against a "surprise attack". In: Spiegel Online . September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  16. ↑ Abe and Putin call North Korea nuke test 'grave' regional threat. In: The Japan Times . September 7, 2017, accessed on September 11, 2017 .
  17. ↑ 空 自 が 放射性 物質 分析 で ３ 機 飛 ば す . In: Mainichi Shimbun . September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2017 (Japanese).
  18. ↑ Concern about the danger of war: Australia is considering evacuation plans for citizens in South Korea. In: Spiegel Online . September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  19. ↑ a b International reactions: Trump considers North Korea's actions after nuclear test to be hostile. In: berliner-zeitung.de . September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  20. ↑ South Korea simulates attack on North Korea's nuclear center. In: handelsblatt.com . September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  21. ↑ North Korea: EU announces its own sanction against Kim dictatorship. In: Spiegel Online . September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  22. ↑ Switzerland offers mediation services in the North Korean crisis. In: nzz.ch . September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Israel condemns 'defiant' North Korea for latest nuclear test. In: timesofisrael.com . September 4, 2017, accessed on September 11, 2017 .
  24. ^ North Korea conducts most powerful nuclear test yet. In: aljazeera.com . September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017 .
  25. ^ Jesse Johnson, Reiji Yoshida: North Korea responds to latest UN sanctions with second missile over Japan. In: The Japan Times . September 15, 2017, accessed September 15, 2017 .
  26. ↑ Hans Nichols, Stella Kim, Phil Helsel: North Korea fires ballistic missile over Japanese airspace again. In: nbcnews.com . September 15, 2017, accessed September 15, 2017 .
  27. ↑ Choe Sang-Hun, David E. Sanger: North Korea Launches Another Missile, Escalating Crisis. In: nytimes.com . September 14, 2017, accessed September 15, 2017 .
  28. ↑ Current: North Korea's next missile test is expected to be imminent. In: finanzmarktwelt.de. September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017 .