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==Missile tests==
==Missile tests==
On the same day, North Korea also conducted short-range surface-to-air missile tests.<ref name="aljazeera">{{cite news|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/05/20095270458302529.html|title=North Korea defies global outcry|publisher=Al Jazeera English|date=2009-05-27|accessdate=2009-06-02}}</ref> The number of fired missiles was first reported as three, but corrected to two by the South Korean defense ministry on 27 May 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2009/05/27/0401000000AEN20090527005000315.HTML|title=N. Korea Monday fired two missiles, not three: ministry|agency=Yonhap|date=2009-05-27|accessdate=2009-06-02}}</ref> The first missile had a range of {{convert|130|km|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SEO175027.htm|title=North Korea follows nuclear test with missile launch|publisher=Reuters AlertNet|date=2009-05-25|accessdate=2009-05-26}}</ref> most probably a long-range [[S-200 Angara/Vega/Dubna|S-200]] SAM.<ref>See SAM systems table at [[KPAF#Air Defense]]</ref> The South Korean news agency [[Yonhap]] cited military officials as saying that the launches seemed to be aimed at keeping U.S. and Japanese surveillance planes away from the site.<ref name ="yahoo">{{cite news|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090525/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_nuclear|title=Defying world powers, N. Korea conducts nuke test|author=Jean H. Lee|publisher=The Associated Press|date=2009-05-25|accessdate=2009-05-26}}</ref>
North Korea is stupid. On the same day, North Korea also conducted short-range surface-to-air missile tests.<ref name="aljazeera">{{cite news|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/05/20095270458302529.html|title=North Korea defies global outcry|publisher=Al Jazeera English|date=2009-05-27|accessdate=2009-06-02}}</ref> The number of fired missiles was first reported as three, but corrected to two by the South Korean defense ministry on 27 May 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2009/05/27/0401000000AEN20090527005000315.HTML|title=N. Korea Monday fired two missiles, not three: ministry|agency=Yonhap|date=2009-05-27|accessdate=2009-06-02}}</ref> The first missile had a range of {{convert|130|km|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SEO175027.htm|title=North Korea follows nuclear test with missile launch|publisher=Reuters AlertNet|date=2009-05-25|accessdate=2009-05-26}}</ref> most probably a long-range [[S-200 Angara/Vega/Dubna|S-200]] SAM.<ref>See SAM systems table at [[KPAF#Air Defense]]</ref> The South Korean news agency [[Yonhap]] cited military officials as saying that the launches seemed to be aimed at keeping U.S. and Japanese surveillance planes away from the site.<ref name ="yahoo">{{cite news|url=http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090525/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_nuclear|title=Defying world powers, N. Korea conducts nuke test|author=Jean H. Lee|publisher=The Associated Press|date=2009-05-25|accessdate=2009-05-26}}</ref>


On 26 May 2009, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing officials, that North Korea fired three more short-range missiles off an east-coast base, one ground-to-ship missile and one surface-to-air missile.<ref name="aljazeera" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2009/05/26/0401000000AEN20090526007400315.HTML|title=N. Korea launches missiles amid tension over nuclear test|author=Sam Kim|agency=Yonhap|date=2009-05-26|accessdate=2009-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2009/05/27/0401000000AEN20090527001300315.HTML|title=N. Korea launches additional missile into East Sea: official|agency=Yonhap|date=2009-05-27|accessdate=2009-06-02}}</ref> The move came as UN diplomats began work on a resolution to punish North Korea for its underground nuclear test.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8067711.stm|title=North Korea 'fires more missiles'|publisher=BBC |date=2009-05-26|accessdate=2009-05-29}}</ref>
On 26 May 2009, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing officials, that North Korea fired three more short-range missiles off an east-coast base, one ground-to-ship missile and one surface-to-air missile.<ref name="aljazeera" /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2009/05/26/0401000000AEN20090526007400315.HTML|title=N. Korea launches missiles amid tension over nuclear test|author=Sam Kim|agency=Yonhap|date=2009-05-26|accessdate=2009-06-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/northkorea/2009/05/27/0401000000AEN20090527001300315.HTML|title=N. Korea launches additional missile into East Sea: official|agency=Yonhap|date=2009-05-27|accessdate=2009-06-02}}</ref> The move came as UN diplomats began work on a resolution to punish North Korea for its underground nuclear test.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8067711.stm|title=North Korea 'fires more missiles'|publisher=BBC |date=2009-05-26|accessdate=2009-05-29}}</ref>

Revision as of 02:23, 10 June 2009

North Korean nuclear test
Near Kilchu
Graphic from the United States Geological Survey showing the location of seismic activity at the time of the test
Coordinates41°18′22″N 129°01′44″E / 41.306°N 129.029°E / 41.306; 129.029[1]
TypeNuclear test site
Site information
OperatorNorth Korea
StatusUnknown
Site history
In use25 May 2009, 00:54:43 UTC[1]

The 2009 North Korean nuclear test was the underground detonation of a nuclear device conducted on 25 May 2009 by North Korea.[2] This was its second nuclear test, the first test having taken place in October 2006.[3] Following the nuclear test, Pyongyang also conducted several missile tests. The test was nearly universally condemned by the international community.

Background

North Korea and weapons
of mass destruction
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
Events
See also
Main article: North Korea and weapons of mass destruction

North Korea (officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK) had threatened to conduct a second nuclear test in protest after the United Nations Security Council adopted a presidential statement condemning the country after it launched a rocket, which it claimed was carrying the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 satellite, on 5 April 2009.[4] The launch was condemned by several nations, describing it as an intercontinental ballistic missile test.

The test also came after recent messages that North Korea had miniaturized nuclear warheads for medium-range missiles and that the country had been recognized by analysts as a fully-fledged nuclear power.[5]

In June 2009, after it was announced that Kim Jong-un was to be the intended successor of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, U.S. government analysts speculated that the purpose of the nuclear test was to establish North Korea as a nuclear power before Kim Jong-il died.[6]

North Korean statements

Albeit without citing a specific time, Pyongyang notified both Washington, D.C. and Beijing of its nuclear test about an hour before the actual detonation, which occurred at 9 p.m. EDT Sunday/0100 GMT Monday;[7] the U.S. State Department promptly contacted the four other six-party talks members.[8]

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released an announcement claiming, in part, that:

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea successfully conducted one more underground nuclear test on May 25 as part of the measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrent for self-defence in every way as requested by its scientists and technicians. The current nuclear test was safely conducted on a new higher level in terms of its explosive power and technology of its control and the results of the test helped satisfactorily settle the scientific and technological problems arising in further increasing the power of nuclear weapons and steadily developing nuclear technology.[9]

This was interpreted as referring to the disputes over the low yield of the 2006 test.[10]

Seismic activity

South Korea and Japan reported seismic activity at 09:50 KST (00:50 UTC).[11] The United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude 4.7 earthquake at a depth of zero and put the center of the tremor about 70 kilometres (43 mi) northwest of Kimchaek and 375 kilometres (233 mi) northeast of Pyongyang, within a few kilometres of the country's 2006 nuclear test site.[1][12] The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the seismic activity at magnitude 5.3.[11] The Korea Institute of Geoscience & Mineral Resources reported seismic activity in the same area but far stronger than in 2006.[11] The test was allegedly conducted from 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) underground,[13] probably making it the deepest nuclear test made to date.[14]

The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed it had detected a nuclear detonation in North Korea and was analysing the data to determine the yield.[15][16]

In China, tremors were felt in the prefecture of Yanbian, which borders North Korea, and forced students in some local schools to be evacuated.[17] The test is believed to have taken place in the vicinity of P’unggyeri (Korean: 풍계리), which was the site of the nuclear test held in 2006.[18]

Yield

The size of North Korea's second nuclear test has not yet been confirmed although general agreement is the nuclear test was successful despite the uncertainty around its yield.[19] Based on 23 seismic readings, the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization estimated a blast wave of magnitude 4.52. This compared to magnitude 4.1, equivalent to 800 tons of TNT, for the 2006 test. An anonymous U.S. military source estimated the blast at 1.5 kilotons.[20]

The Information Telegraph Agency of Russia (ITAR-TASS) quoted an unnamed Russian Defence Ministry official as saying the test had a yield of 10 to 20 kilotons.[21][22] This was approximately the yield of the Fat Man and Trinity bombs developed by the United States during World War II.[23] It was noted that the source of the Russian estimate was unknown and that in 2006 the Russians estimated a far higher yield of 5 to 10 kilotons when other sources estimated a yield of 0.5 to 0.9 kilotons.[10][24] Defense Minister Lee Sang-Hee of South Korea said that more data were needed but that the yield might be between 1 to 20 kilotons.[10]

Analyst Martin Kalinowski at the University of Hamburg estimated the yield at being from 3 to 8 kilotons, still a very successful test when compared with the 2006 test.[10][25] Kalinowski mentioned in conclusion that the test was "still short of the explosion energy released by the Hiroshima (Little Boy, 15 kt TNT yield) and Nagasaki (Fat Man, 21 kt TNT yield) bombs." Hans M. Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists cautioned that more analysis would be needed before the yield was known, and that "early news media reports about a 'Hiroshima-size' nuclear explosion seem to be overblown."[10] The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists asserted that the blast was more powerful than the 2006 test, but put the yield between 2 to 6 kilotons, far short of a Hiroshima-type device. The article concluded that the bomb failed to detonate correctly, but that still in that case the potential of this weapon could not be dismissed.[23] Dr Ludwig De Braeckeleer estimated the yield between 1.4 and 2.8 kilotons.[26]

As of 29 May 2009, U.S. testing to determine whether North Korea indeed fired a nuclear device on 25 May was "inconclusive", according to U.S. officials.[27]

Missile tests

North Korea is stupid. On the same day, North Korea also conducted short-range surface-to-air missile tests.[28] The number of fired missiles was first reported as three, but corrected to two by the South Korean defense ministry on 27 May 2009.[29] The first missile had a range of 130 km (81 mi),[30] most probably a long-range S-200 SAM.[31] The South Korean news agency Yonhap cited military officials as saying that the launches seemed to be aimed at keeping U.S. and Japanese surveillance planes away from the site.[32]

On 26 May 2009, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing officials, that North Korea fired three more short-range missiles off an east-coast base, one ground-to-ship missile and one surface-to-air missile.[28][33][34] The move came as UN diplomats began work on a resolution to punish North Korea for its underground nuclear test.[35]

By 27 May 2009, at least five short range missiles were launched by North Korea. A military spokesman quoted by official media said that North Korea could no longer guarantee the safety of shipping off its west coast, suggesting a missile could also be fired in that direction.[36]

Another short-range missile was fired off North Korea's east coast on 28 May 2009.[37][38]

On 29 May 2009, U.S. officials said that satellite photos revealed vehicle activity at two sites in North Korea suggesting that North Korean military might be preparing to launch a long-range ballistic missile.[39][40] This was reaffirmed on 1 June 2009 by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates who said at a news conference with his Philippine counterpart during a brief visit to Manila "We have seen some signs that they may be doing something with another Taepodong-2 missile, but at this point it's not clear what they're doing".[41]

Yonhap news agency reported on 2 June 2009 that North Korea was readying as many as three medium-range missiles (according to some analysts, Rodong missiles)[42] at a missile base in Anbyon region, Gangwon Province, northeast of the capital of Pyongyang. In addition, a South Korean defence ministry spokesman said that signs that North Korea was preparing to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) had been detected.[43][44] verifying US defense officials' reports and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates's statement made on 1 June. North Korea apparently has moved the ICBM to a new base in Dongchang-ri along its west coast and a launch could take place in one or two weeks, according to Yonhap.[45][46][47]

International reaction

International organisations

  • Association of Southeast Asian Nations: the 10 ASEAN leaders and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak released a statement at the end of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit condemning North Korea's nuclear test and subsequent missile launches as "clear violations" of UN Security Council resolutions and the agreements reached at six-party nuclear disarmament talks. They said peaceful denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was essential to keep the regional peace and expressed full support for resumption of the stalled six-party talks. "North Korea's underground test is a serious threat to peace and security in Northeast Asia and beyond," Lee Myung-Bak told at the closing press conference, expressing "sincere gratitude" to ASEAN's leaders for their statement.[48]
  • Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization: The Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO's International Monitoring System immediately detected the North Korean Nuclear test with 38 of its seismic stations throughout the world. Within 24 hours of this detection, CTBTO Executive Secretary Tibor Tóth gave briefings to both representatives from member states as well as the press on the CTBTO findings.[49]
  •  European Union: The EU's foreign policy chief Javier Solana condemned the test. "These irresponsible acts by North Korea warrant a firm response by the international community. The European Union will be in contact with its partners to discuss appropriate measures," he said in a written statement.[50]
  • NATO: "These irresponsible actions by Pyongyang pose a serious challenge to peace, security and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and are being universally condemned by the international community," NATO said in a statement. "We call upon Pyongyang to refrain from any other actions which could contribute to raising tensions and to restore dialogue within the Six-Party framework. The Alliance will continue to carefully monitor developments with deep concern."[51]
  • Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe: OSCE chairwoman-in-Office and Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis condemned North Korea's claimed nuclear test, identifying it as a threat to stability in the region. "I strongly condemn North Korea's declared nuclear test. I am deeply concerned by this threat to regional and global stability," Bakoyannis added in Athens. "Rather than enhancing its nuclear capabilities, North Korea should return immediately to the six-party talks and avoid any actions that would further heighten tensions."[52]
  •  United Nations: The Security Council unanimously condemned the test and was quoted as saying that "The members of the Security Council voiced their strong opposition to and condemnation of the nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 25 May 2009, which constitutes a clear violation of resolution 1718" and that council members "have decided to start work immediately on a Security Council resolution on this matter".[53]

Members of the six-party talks

See also: Six-party talks
  •  North Korea: The North Korean news agency KCNA confirmed the test and called it "successful". The agency also said the test was "aimed at strengthening its self-defense nuclear deterrent in every way".[2] South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported citing KCNA that citizens of Pyongyang held a rally to celebrate the country's second successful nuclear test on 26 May.[54] On 27 May, North Korea's permanent military mission to the North-South joint security area issued a statement, carried by the KCNA, as a reaction to S. Korea's decision to join the Proliferation Security Initiative saying it no longer is bound to the Korean War armistice and will militarily respond to any foreign attempt to inspect its ships.[55] The KCNA news agency also reported on 29 May, regarding any new UN sanctions, that the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a communique “If the UN Security Council provokes us, new measures to ensure the legitimate defense will be inevitable”.[56]
  •  South Korea: President Lee Myung-bak called an emergency cabinet meeting. [57] The decision was made to join the Proliferation Security Initiative, a move which the North has repeatedly warned would be construed as a declaration of war.[58] The ROK-US Combined Forces Command raised its surveillance condition from WATCHCON3 (important indications of threat) to WATCHCON2 (vital indications of threat).[59][60][61][62] President Lee Myung-bak made another statement at the beginning of the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit saying "We will continue to work to have North Korea observe UN Security Council resolutions".[63]
  •  China: The Foreign Ministry released a statement: "The DPRK ignored universal opposition of the international community and once more conducted the nuclear test. The Chinese government is resolutely opposed to it". The statement also strongly demanded that North Korea "return to the tracks of the six-party talks".[64]
  •  Japan: Japan said the test was "unacceptable" and a violation of UN Security Council resolutions. It was also considering tightening sanctions in response.[65][66]
  •  Russia: The Foreign Ministry stated that "The latest steps of the DPRK escalate tensions in Northeast Asia and endanger regional security and stability" and violated UN Security Council Resolution 1718, but added that "We still think that the nuclear problem of the Korean Peninsula may be resolved only at the six-nation negotiations".[67] The Presidential spokewoman Natalya Timakova said Russia “is seriously concerned” about North Korea’s nuclear test and that “Russian competent services express regret and voice serious concern about North Korea’s nuclear test in the area adjacent to the Russian Federation”.[68]
  •  United States: The White House condemned the test, saying "North Korea is directly and recklessly challenging the international community. The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants action by the international community."[50] President Barack Obama's official statement promised "international acceptance" if North Korea complied.[69] He also said that the country's actions "pose a grave threat to the peace and stability of the world".[70] Susan Rice, US ambassador to the UN, added that, "North Korea needs to understand that its actions have consequences" and that they would "pay a price for their action," in the form of further sanctions.[71] Robert Gates, the US Defense Secretary, delivered a stark warning to North Korea, on 30 May 2009 "The policy of the United States has not changed," he said. "Our goal is complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and we will not accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state."[72]

Security Council permanent members

Note: The members not listed here (China, Russia, and the United States) are members of the six-party talks and thus are covered above.
  •  France: French Foreign Ministry spokesman Eric Chevallier said France "strongly condemns" the missile test and urges North Korea "to abstain from any new provocation".[73]
  •  United Kingdom: UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "I condemn North Korea's nuclear test in the strongest terms. This act will undermine prospects for peace on the Korean peninsula and will do nothing for North Korea's security. The international community will treat North Korea as a partner if it behaves responsibly. If it does not then it can expect only renewed isolation."[50] British Minister for International Defence and Security Ann Taylor made a statement on 31 May 2009 concerning the imminent UN security council sanctions towards North Korea. "There is a genuine world concern, and hopefully a consensus will come from that," she said. "It is that unity of action that I think is important here. Because if we only can get the unity of action, the regime in North Korea will understand the strength of feeling and will begin to take notice."[74]

Other countries

  •  Argentina: The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, headed by foreign minister Jorge Taiana, condemned the test, saying "North Korea has disregarded calls of the international community, carrying out new launches of ballistic missiles", and urged "North Korea to resume dialogue and negotiations, primarily through the process known as the six-party talks, [...] as the legitimate method to express its aspirations and expectations in terms of security".[75]
  •  Australia: Australia offered "absolute condemnation".[76]
  •  Brazil: The Ministry of External Relations issued a statement saying it hoped that North Korea would "rejoin, as soon as possible and as a non-nuclear-armed state, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons" and return to negotiations aimed at denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.
  •  Bulgaria: Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has condemned the test, stating: "We express deep concern about the conducted nuclear test of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on 25 May 2009. The test is in violation of Resolution 1718 of the United Nations Security Council and we call for the country to unconditionally and immediately return to the Six-party talks."[77]
  •  Canada: Prime Minister Stephen Harper condemned the test, saying "North Korea's aggressive weapons programs represent a grave threat to international security, and are specifically troubling for stability in Northeast Asia."[78]
  •  Colombia: Colombian government condemned the test saying: "Colombia strongly condemns the subterranian nuclear test done by North Korea (...)"[79]
  •  Germany: Germany condemned the test.[76]
  •  Iceland: Össur Skarphéðinsson, Minister for Foreign Affairs, "strongly condemns North Korea’s nuclear test."[80]
  •  India: India described the nuclear test by North Korea as a matter of serious concern for the entire world and said that India is "against" nuclear proliferation.[81]
  •  Indonesia: Indonesia deplored the test, saying it would "create new tensions in the region, especially in East Asia".[82]
  •  Iran: Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said the test was an "internal affair" of North Korea.[83]
  •  Israel: A statement released by the Foreign Ministry said it viewed the test with "extreme gravity" that had "negative ramifications for our region". It called on the international community to "act with determination" to send a message to other countries.[84]
  •  Malaysia: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said he was "concerned that North Korea's display of nuclear capability will further heighten the tension in the Korean peninsula and affect the whole East Asian region," and hoped that the issue would be resolved through six-party talks as well as by the UN Security Council.[85]
  •  Mexico: A press release issued by the Foreign Ministry said: "Mexico vigorously condemns the nuclear test on May 25 and the launching of three short-range missiles confirmed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. These actions violate international law and the goals of disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation. They also exacerbate the tensions on the Korean peninsula and put the region’s stability at risk." .[86]
  •  New Zealand: New Zealand expressed worries about the test.[76]
  •  Norway: The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a press release saying that "Norway strongly condemns the North Korean nuclear test" and continues to state that the test is in clear conflict with the goal of reaching a political solution to the North Korean nuclear weapons programme. The press release stated that Norwegian humanitarian and medical aid to North Korea will continue, but stressed that this is not a long-term commitment.[87]
  •  Poland: The Foreign Ministry released a statement which condemned the test and said, "The nuclear test constitutes a violation of Security Council resolution 1718 and will have negative impact on the security situation in the Korean Peninsula and the region of North-East Asia".[88]
  •  South Africa: South Africa said the test was "unacceptable", warning that nuclear weapons do not create security but are a "threat to humanity".[89]
  •  Sweden: Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt issued a statement saying "It is alarming that the North Korean regime continues to provoke the international community."[90]
  •  Turkey: A statement from the Foreign Ministry condemned the incident, saying "this represents an act far from fulfilling the expectations of the international community striving for peace and stability to prevail in the region."[91]
  •  Vatican City: In a statement released by its newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican has condemned the nuclear test and warned that acts of aggression such as this threaten "the very survival" of the country's own people by exacerbating its isolation. [92]
  •  Vietnam: Vietnam's Foreign Ministry issued a statement denouncing the test, saying Hanoi was "deeply concerned" and added that the nuclear test "only complicates the situation, and does not serve the interests of peace and stability in the region." [93]

Aftermath

News of the tests immediately affected South Korean markets, sending the main KOSPI share index down 4%, while the won dropped by 1% against the U.S. dollar on the day of the nuclear test, 25 May.[57] The yen fell to 95.10 per dollar from its level of 94.78 on May 22, the near highest level in more than two months against the dollar.[94]

On 28 May, North Korea threatened to end the Korean War armistice, stating that "the Korean peninsula will go back to a state of war", whereupon the joint military command of South Korea and the United States increased its surveillance alert level from WATCHCON3 to WATCHCON2, the second-highest level of surveillance alert; the five-stage combat alert level remained at DEFCON4, the second-lowest level.[95][96] Russia undertook security measures in case the war of nerves on the Korean peninsula erupted into a nuclear war.[97]

North Korea also threatened on 29 May to attack South Korean and US warships near its coast if its sovereignty were infringed.[98] In Japan a policy debate ensued regarding strengthening its military up to and including the possibility of an independent pre-emptive strike capability and even nuclear armaments, subjects hitherto taboo.[99][100]

On 30 May, United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence confirmed that a VC10 tanker plane, which is used for air-to-air refuelling, had been sent to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan to help support the investigations, led by the U.S. military, to determine the power of the nuclear explosion and the type of material that was used. A Ministry spokesman said: “Following the recent events in North Korea and to support the international community’s efforts during this time of increased political tension, we can confirm that the UK is supporting in the associated verification efforts.”[101] On the same day, a U.S. F-22 fighter jet arrived on Kadena Air Base, the first of twelve F-22's and approximately 280 Langley Air Force Base Airmen from the 94th Fighter Squadron, along with members of the Virginia Air National Guard's 192nd Fighter Wing, that are being deployed to Kadena Air Base as part of a theatre security package.[102][103][104]

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Jim Steinberg accompanied by Stephen Bosworth, the U.S. special envoy on North Korea, will lead a U.S. delegation to Asia the week starting 1 June 2009 to consult regional forces on how to respond to North Korea's latest nuclear test. The delegation also includes Stuart Levy, the Treasury under-secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, and Admiral James Winnefeld of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.[105]

Japan approved on 2 June, 2009 plans for a satellite missile early warning system as part of a new space policy document, a year after Japan dropped a decades-old ban on military use of space with some ruling party lawmakers suggesting Japan should inspect North Korean ships, in the wake of reports that N. Korea was preparing to fire more mid-range missiles.[106] On the same day, as a response to the increased activity of the N. Korean military and after reports that North Koreans have stepped up naval drills near the western sea border, the site of deadly skirmishes between the two Koreas in 1999 and 2002, South Korea deployed a high-speed naval vessel, the Yoon Youngha guided missile patrol boat, to the area and vowed to "punish" any attacking forces.[107][108]

After the N. Korean nuclear test the U.S. has approved the sale of a number of weapon systems to South Korea, including GBU-28 "bunker buster" bombs, SM-2 Standard surface-to-air Missiles and F-16 Block 32 Aircraft Upgrades improving the aircrafts and increasing the South Korean military's operational abilities.[109][110][111] The South Korean military has prepared plans for a counter-attack in the event of a first strike by North Korea.[112]

See also

Wikinews has related news:

References

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  11. ^ a b c "NKorea says it conducted 2nd nuclear test". The Associated Press. 2009-05-25.
  12. ^ Earthquake shakes North Korea. CNN. 24 May 2009.
  13. ^ Peter Alford (2009-05-26). "North Korea's nuclear defiance with bomb test". The Australian. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  14. ^ Nuclear tests: height/depth of burst vs. yield
  15. ^ "Russian Defence Ministry confirmed that North Korea conducted a nuclear test". ITAR-TASS. 2009-05-25.
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