# South Korean media reports North Korea has conducted a nuclear test... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 9, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772 "2006-10-09T02:58:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/1 "2006-10-09T02:58:39Z")
[http://www.cnn.com/](http://www.cnn.com/) No story posted yet, just a headline. No confirmation from US intelligence. Good thing we’re in Iraq, right? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/2 "2006-10-09T03:03:57Z")
Well, that’s just great. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/3 "2006-10-09T03:06:41Z")
And now North Korea has apparently confirmed it. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/4 "2006-10-09T03:20:27Z")
Anybody who believes that G. Bush’s ineptness in directing foreign policy isn’t a major contribution to this act? Anybody?? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/5 "2006-10-09T03:22:33Z")
You know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking that I should pack my bags. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/6 "2006-10-09T03:30:37Z")
Dear God. I can’t believe this. From what I can gather from the Korean news sites, there was a 3.58 earthquake registered at 10:36 am (Korean time) Monday morning. North Korea has announced that they did indeed conduct a “successful” test and that it is a historical event that their people should be proud of (rough translation). Apart from the earthquake, I don’t think there’s been confirmation of said test, other than through the N Korean media. ---
**Author:** ![TheOnlySaneOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@TheOnlySaneOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheOnlySaneOne)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/7 "2006-10-09T05:03:29Z")
[http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061009/wl\_afp/nkoreanuclearweaponstest](http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061009/wl_afp/nkoreanuclearweaponstest) We come closer to a definite yes, but don’t have explicit confirmation yet. Still, can’t believe the crazy fsckers actually went through it… ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/8 "2006-10-09T05:08:26Z")
When’s the first shuttle to Mars? Can I be on it? Please? If that doesn’t work, I’m thinking Baffin Island. I mean, who’s going to nuke _that_? Who’s with me? Can anyone build an igloo? ---
**Author:** ![Brandon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f08c70/32.png) [@Brandon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brandon)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/9 "2006-10-09T08:35:15Z")
[QUOTE=Antigen] When’s the first shuttle to Mars? Can I be on it? Please? If that doesn’t work, I’m thinking Baffin Island. I mean, who’s going to nuke _that_? Who’s with me? Can anyone build an igloo? [/QUOTE] I can, but I’m allergic to caribou. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/10 "2006-10-09T14:15:44Z")
The “axis of evil”: Iraq, Iran, North Korea. Who’s got or close to getting nukes? Iran, North Korea. Who didn’t have squat? Iraq. Who got invaded? Now what? Even the Google ads are running scared: Disaster Fundraiser Quick & Easy Profits. No Upfront Costs. Start Your Fundraiser Today! Helicopters For Sale Cargo, Passenger, Heavy Lift, Search/Rescue, A/Crane aircraft. Free Disaster Supplies Complete Portable Kit With 3 Day Disaster Supplies. Do Survey. Christian Disaster Relief Training ordinary people to serve extraordinarily in times of crisis ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/11 "2006-10-09T14:34:07Z")
Who cares? I can’t understand why we’re all supposed to be so freaked out. It was just a test, it’s not like it actually hurt anybody and it’s none of our business as far as I’m concerned. NK has just as much right to defend itself as anyone else, and just as much right to nuclear weapons. It’s not like the US has the moral credibility to condemn anybody else anyway. All this does is provode Bush with an election season, dog-wagging opportunity to change the subject away from Iraq and the Republican pedophile scandal. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/12 "2006-10-09T16:57:12Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Who cares? I can’t understand why we’re all supposed to be so freaked out. It was just a test, it’s not like it actually hurt anybody and it’s none of our business as far as I’m concerned. NK has just as much right to defend itself as anyone else, and just as much right to nuclear weapons. It’s not like the US has the moral credibility to condemn anybody else anyway. All this does is provode Bush with an election season, dog-wagging opportunity to change the subject away from Iraq and the Republican pedophile scandal. [/QUOTE] North Korea is one of a small handful of nations that might actually use such a weapon. If Kim Jong Il decides to invade South Korea (or if he seriously believes that the US is going to invade him) then a bunch of small nukes would be _exactly_ what he needs to launch a devestating first strike. Small tactical nukes would make quick work of the bases along the DMZ, wiping out South’s front line forces. A Hiroshima-sized nuke could be launced at Seoul as a decapitatation strike, or they could nuke South Korea’s major ports to make it hard for anyone to land reinforcements. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/13 "2006-10-09T17:49:35Z")
[QUOTE=A.R. Cane] Anybody who believes that G. Bush’s ineptness in directing foreign policy isn’t a major contribution to this act? Anybody?? [/QUOTE] Not me. I think Bush has been a disastrous President, yes. But I think the situation with North Korea has much more to do with them than who the US President is or what the relationship is like. It’s being driven much more by the inherent paranoia and egoism of the NK leadership than any outside force. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/south-korean-media-reports-north-korea-has-conducted-a-nuclear-test/375772/14 "2006-10-09T23:42:14Z")
I expect that NK will export its nuke technology to rather nasty regimes.