World powerless to stop North Korea
North Korea's decision to carry out its second nuclear test on Monday could have far-reaching consequences, if South Korea and Japan conclude that nothing can be done to persuade Pyongyang to denuclearize. Under such circumstances, developing their own nuclear weapons might become increasingly desirable for Seoul and Tokyo. Full Story »
Posted by Kaizar Campwala
While the siesmic data reflects a 20-40 KT weapon, most non scientific sources are going with the smaller yield since there are the 2 WWII weapons to compare with. These are still atomic weapons based on their yields, nuclear devices are most likely years away. We have no real idea of how much Plutonium NK has since we were in the dark for many years about the reactor. The NKs have also the ability to refire their urainium enrichment plants.