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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| North Korea May Have Up To 50 Kg Of Plutonium |
| 2006-10-29 |
North Korea is believed to have secured up to 50 kilograms of plutonium, enough to make six or seven nuclear weapons, according to a defence ministry report leaked to the media Thursday. After its first nuclear test on October 9, the communist state is now believed to be researching how to miniaturise warheads to fit them on missiles, according to the report. "North Korea is believed to have extracted up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of plutonium," the defence ministry was quoted by Yonhap news agency as saying in the report. The North has extracted plutonium from spent fuel rods in nuclear reactors at its Yongbyon site. The report was submitted to a meeting of top military commanders on October 10, a day after North Korea conducted its first nuclear test which sparked international condemnation and United Nations sanctions. A defence ministry spokesman said he was checking the existence of such a report. Defence ministry authorities also told the October 10 meeting that nuclear bombs could be carried by North Korea's Ilyushin 28 jet bombers, according to Yonhap. North Korea deploys a total of 82 of the Soviet-designed aircraft at Uiju, 125 kilometers (78 miles) northwest of Pyongyang and at Jangjin, 130 kilometers northeast of the capital, the ministry said. The aim of the North's nuclear test was to compensate for its failure in test-firing a long-range missile in July and to press the United States to enter into negotiations, the ministry said. According to Yonhap, Seoul defence officials fear the test could spark a nuclear arms race in Northeast Asia, disturb the balance of power on the Korean pensinsula and intensify international sanctions against the North. Defence Minister Yoon Kwang-Ung said on October 13 that North Korea wa believed to be developing nuclear warheads for its missiles but needs "a few more years" before it can produce them. |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #3 Might want to throw in some Tritium for no extra charge. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2006-10-29 18:58 |
| #2 "North Korea May Have Up To 50 Kg Of Plutonium" Gee, that's not nearly enough. Let's help them out by sending them some more - special delivery. ;-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-10-29 17:42 |
| #1 China confirms weapons arrests but stays mum on uranium Beijing (AFP) Oct 26 - China said Thursday that two people had been arrested for trafficking "dangerous weapons" but stopped short of confirming a South Korean media report that uranium was involved. The pair were arrested on October 16 in Beijing on charges of "alleged trading in illegal dangerous weapons", foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said during a press briefing. Liu would not specify the nature of the materials being traded or the nationalities of those involved. He was responding to a question about a report in South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper on Tuesday that Chinese police had arrested a pair of ethnic Koreans for trying to sell about 970 grams (34 ounces) of enriched uranium. It quoted a Beijing police source as saying the enriched uranium "was presumed to be Russian-made", but it could also have come from North Korea. Large numbers of ethnic Koreans in China engage in illegal cross-border trade with hermetic North Korea. The report did not say how enriched the uranium was. Fifteen to 17 kilograms of highly enriched uranium would be needed to produce a nuclear weapon, it said. Defying international pressure to scrap its nuclear program, North Korea tested a nuclear weapon on October 9, triggering UN sanctions aimed at crippling the program. The sanctions also mandated inspections of North Korean cargo, as the test raised concerns about whether Pyongyang may intend to smuggle its nuclear material and technology out of the country and into the hands of terrorists. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2006-10-29 17:37 |