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In the article we will talk about the testing of nuclear weapons in North Korea, as well as other countries that may pose a threat. Let's take a closer look at this issue from all sides, as well as study nuclear tests in Korea and talk about the potential of other countries.
North Korean nuclear missile program
This is the conditional name for a set of research works on the creation of nuclear charges in All data are based on official documents or statements by the government of the country, since the developments are hidden. The authorities assure that all tests are exclusively peaceful in nature and are aimed at studying outer space. In the winter of 2005, it officially declared nuclear weapons and a year later it made the first explosion.
It is known that after the war, the United States regularly threatened North Korea with the possibility of using nuclear weapons. Ruler Kim Il Sung, being under the protection of the USSR, was calm in this regard until he learned that the US planned to drop 7 nuclear charges on Pyongyang during the Korean War. This was a powerful impetus to the fact that Korea began research into nuclear energy. 1952 is generally considered to be the beginning of North Korea's nuclear activities. The country acted jointly with the USSR, which provided considerable assistance. Since the 1970s, the development of nuclear weapons in North Korea has begun. Agreements were concluded with China, which allowed researchers to visit its test sites.
In 1985, under strong pressure from the USSR, the DPRK signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.
First test
In the fall of 2006, the country's authorities announced that the first nuclear test had been successfully carried out. The official statement said that it was an underground test that would serve the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula. The study took place at the Pungeri test site, which is located in the north-east of the republic, less than 200 km from the border with Russia. The tremor caused earthquakes in Japan, the USA, Australia, South Korea and Russia.
After that, the question of whether North Korea had nuclear weapons was no longer raised. Chinese authorities were warned 2 hours before the explosion. World powers, including Russia and China, as well as the highest echelons of power in the European Union and NATO, have been critical of nuclear weapons testing. Political leaders openly expressed their displeasure. Because of this, the weapons of which deserve attention, immediately came to combat readiness.
Second test
In the spring of 2009, a second test took place, the power of which was much greater. After the explosion, in 9 languages, Korea's international radio broadcast that their people came out in support of the weapons test, as the threat from the United States appears regularly. Korea, in turn, is simply taking drastic measures to possibly protect its territory.
At the same time, South Korea joined the countries that reacted negatively to this state of affairs. The US government even put forward sanctions against the DPRK. In response, the authorities said that if mass searches were carried out, Korea would take it as the start of a war.
Third test
In the winter of 2013, the republic publicly announced that it intended to conduct another test. In February, researchers from the United States noticed tremors, the localization of which was located approximately in the area of the North Korean nuclear test site. The UN announced the discovery of a strange seismic phenomenon that has signs of an explosion. On the same day, the North Korean authorities announced a successful experiment. On December 12, 2012, North Korean researchers launched a new satellite into orbit, which caused a crisis in the country. US relations, South Korea, Japan and North Korea are strongly heated.
Still wondering if North Korea has nuclear weapons and how many? It will be useful to know that in 2015 he officially announced that the country has a hydrogen bomb. Analysts said with confidence that, most likely, developments in this direction are underway, but there are no ready-made warheads yet.
In January 2016, the South Korean authorities shared information that the DPRK was allegedly preparing for a test hydrogen bomb. Scouts said that tritium production was established in North Korea, it is necessary to create a bomb, and a new underground tunnel is being built. In the winter of 2017, on the orders of Kim Jong-un, the first explosion was carried out thermonuclear bomb near Chinese border. This information was confirmed by Chinese researchers. In the autumn of the same year, information was officially confirmed that the DPRK possessed a hydrogen bomb.
Fourth test
In the winter of 2016, North Korea again reminded of itself. Nuclear power carried out another explosion and soon announced that the first successful one had passed. However, experts from all over the world showed some distrust of these words and doubted that it was the hydrogen bomb that was detonated. They insisted that the explosion should have been more powerful, several hundred thousand million tons. It was equated to what happened in 2009. In terms of power, it was compared with the bomb that exploded in Hiroshima.
Fifth trial
In the autumn of 2016, a powerful seismic explosion occurred in the country in the morning. The epicenter was in locality, near the Pungeri test site. US geologists have classified seismic tremors as an explosion. A little later, the DPRK officially announced the success of its fifth nuclear test.
Sixth test
On September 3, 2017, the most powerful tremors were recorded in North Korea. They were noticed by seismic stations in many countries. This time, scientists agreed that the explosion was ground. It occurred in the afternoon local time in the area of the Pungeri test site. Officially, the Korean authorities announced the successful test of a nuclear warhead. The power of the explosion was incredible and 10 times higher than that which was in the fall of 2016. A few minutes after the first shock, the US Geological Survey recorded another one. Multiple landslides were visible from the satellite.
Countries
When North Korea acquired nuclear weapons, it joined the so-called "Nuclear Club", consisting of states that possess varying amounts of such weapons. List of countries that legally own capacities: France, China, Great Britain, Russia and the USA. The illegitimate owners are Pakistan, India and North Korea.
It should be mentioned that Israel is not officially considered the owner of nuclear weapons, but many world experts are sure that the country has its own secret developments. However, many states at one time were engaged in the development of such weapons. In addition, not everyone signed the NPT in 1968, and many of those who signed it did not ratify it. That is why the threat still exists.
USA
List of countries with nuclear weapons Let's start with the USA. The basis of its power lies in ballistic missiles on submarines. It is known that on this moment The US has over 1,500 warheads. After the Second World War, the production of weapons increased dramatically, but in 1997 it was discontinued.
Russia
So, the list of countries with nuclear weapons is continued by the Russian Federation, which owns 1,480 warheads. It also has ammunition that can be used in naval, strategic, missile and aviation forces.
During the last decade, the number of weapons in Russia has significantly decreased due to the signing of a treaty on mutual disarmament. The Russian Federation, like the United States, signed the 1968 treaty, so it is on the list of countries that legitimately own nuclear weapons. At the same time, the presence of such a threat allows Russia to adequately defend its political and economic interests.
France
We have already understood how strong the North Korean army is, but what about the European countries? France, for example, owns 300 warheads that can be used on submarines. Also, the country has about 60 multiprocessors that can be used for military aviation. The stockpile of this country's weapons seems negligible compared to the volumes of the United States and Russia, but this is also significant. France fought for independence for a very long time in terms of developing its own weapons. Researchers tried to invent a supercomputer, tested nuclear weapons. But all this lasted until 1998, after which all developments were destroyed and stopped.
Great Britain
This country owns approximately 255 nuclear weapons, of which more than 150 are in full readiness for use on submarines. Inaccuracies in the number of weapons in the UK are due to the fact that policy principles prohibit the deployment of detailed information about the quality of weapons. The country is not trying to increase its nuclear potential, but in no case is it going to lower it. There is an active policy of curbing the use of lethal weapons.
China, India, Pakistan
We'll talk about how many nuclear weapons North Korea has later, but for now let's focus on China, which has about 240 nuclear weapons. According to unofficial data, it is believed that there are about 40 intercontinental missiles and about 1000 missiles short range. The government does not give any exact data on the number of weapons, assuring that they will be kept at a minimum level to guarantee security.
Also, the Chinese authorities claim that they will never use weapons of this type first, and if they have to use them, they will not be directed to countries that do not have nuclear weapons. What to say global community reacts very positively to such statements.
We have already considered the nuclear weapons of North Korea, but what about such a multifaceted country as India? Experts believe that it refers to states that possess lethal weapons illegitimately. It is believed that the military stock consists of thermonuclear and nuclear warheads. There are also ballistic missiles, short and medium range missiles. Despite the fact that the country owns nuclear weapons, there is no discussion of this on the world stage and no information is provided, which upsets the world community.
In Pakistan, according to experts, there are about 200 warheads. However, this is only unofficial data, since there is no exact information. The public reacted very harshly to all nuclear weapons tests in this country. Pakistan has received a lot of economic sanctions from almost all countries in the world, except Saudi Arabia, since she was connected with him by contracts for the supply of oil.
The armament of which is clearly sufficient, is still the main world threat. The government does not want to provide any approximate information on the number of weapons. It is known that there are medium-range missiles and the Musudan mobile missile system. Due to the fact that the DPRK regularly tests its weapons and even publicly declares that it has them in the country, economic sanctions are regularly imposed on it. Six-party talks between the countries have been underway for a long time, but despite all this, Korea is not going to stop its research.
As for the above-mentioned negotiations, they began in 2003. The participants were the USA, Russia, Japan, South Korea. The first three rounds of negotiations that took place in 2003-2004 did not bring any practical result. The fourth round was held without the participation of Pyongyang - the capital of the DPRK. This happened because of a new crisis in North Korea's relations with America and Japan.
At all stages of negotiations we are talking about the same thing - for the country to curtail its nuclear program and destroyed the created weapon. The United States offered Korea economic benefits and a full guarantee that there would be no more aggression and threats from their side. However, when all participating countries demanded that the DPRK completely curtail all its activities, and even under the control of the IAEA, Korea resolutely refused.
Later, the country nevertheless softened its conditions and agreed to temporarily freeze its research in exchange for the supply of fuel oil on the most favorable terms for Korea. However, by this time the United States and Japan were no longer enough to freeze, they wanted a complete cessation of the nuclear program. Naturally, the DPRK did not accept such conditions.
Subsequently, the United States managed to agree with Korea on a temporary freeze of all tests for a good reward. However, after that, the participating countries began to demand the most desirable thing - to completely stop and destroy all developments. Once again, Korea rejected such conditions.
Negotiations are still ongoing, and similar situations occur: as soon as the DPRK makes concessions, even more is demanded of it. Korea, in turn, under no pretext agrees to curtail its nuclear missile program.
Does North Korea have the resource base for a nuclear program?
Nuclear weapons can be made from either weapons-grade plutonium (plutonium-239) or highly enriched uranium (uranium-235). The first two nuclear tests, in 2006 and 2009, were carried out by North Korea using charges made from weapons-grade plutonium, writes the American non-governmental Arms Control Association. North Korea's key nuclear facility, which houses most of the country's equipment, research and development related to both peaceful and military nuclear activities, is the Yenbyon Center, located 90 km north of Pyongyang. In 1986, a gas-graphite reactor was launched there, and its experts consider it the main source of weapons-grade plutonium (capable of producing up to 6 kg per year).
How much weapons-grade plutonium the DPRK has accumulated is unknown. According to 2008 data provided by the Nuclear Threat Initiative website, North Korea could have received 39 kg of weapons-grade plutonium. However, the head of the center international security IMEMO RAS Alexei Arbatov believes that as of 2017, Pyongyang has approximately 50-60 kg of weapons-grade plutonium.
North Korea admitted in 2016 that it was producing highly enriched uranium from low-enriched uranium, the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said. The plant, opened in 2010, is capable of producing 2 tons of low-enriched uranium or about 40 kg of highly enriched uranium annually, according to the Arms Control Association. Alexey Arbatov says that North Korea acquires nuclear technologies, materials and even specialists on the global black market. “There is a huge market for nuclear materials – low-enriched uranium, uranium ore. Having certain technologies, it is possible to make highly enriched uranium from low-enriched uranium,” says Arbatov.
Total: reserves of weapons-grade plutonium - 39-60 kg, the possibility of producing weapons-grade plutonium - 6 kg per year, highly enriched uranium - up to 40 kg per year.
How many ready-made nuclear warheads does North Korea have?
On September 3, the DPRK announced that it had tested a thermonuclear bomb (the sixth nuclear test in the history of the country, the first took place in 2006). However, there is no independent confirmation of this information. International experts reported that on the day of the test, an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 on the Richter scale occurred in the DPRK. According to the estimates of the Norwegian Foundation for Geological and Physical Research (NORSAR), the power of the underground explosion that caused it was 120 kt of TNT. To make sure that it was the hydrogen bomb that was tested, it is possible only by taking samples of the rocks in the test area, the researchers point out.
No matter what type of bomb Pyongyang has tested, NORSAR notes that the power of the DPRK's explosive devices increases with each new test. If the charge power during the first test in 2006 was about 1 kt in TNT equivalent, then ten years later, in September 2016, it reached about 20 kt, the report says.
According to SIPRI, North Korea has 10-20 nuclear warheads. Bloomberg, citing American military analysts, claims that the arsenal of the DPRK has 60 nuclear warheads.
In total: the number of nuclear warheads is at least ten, the yield is at least 20 kt in TNT equivalent.
What means of delivery of nuclear weapons does the DPRK have?
North Korea has been developing a missile program since the 1960s. Assistance in this was provided by the USSR, China, and the countries of the Middle East. The DPRK had 15 types of ballistic missiles in August 2017, according to the Arms Control Association.
The Nodon-1 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) is capable of covering a distance of about 1.5 thousand km, that is, it is capable of hitting Japan and South Korea. Another MRBM, "Musudan", theoretically can overcome up to 4 thousand km (its tests were not successful). Tested in May 2017, the Hwaseong-12 can hit targets within a radius of about 4.5 thousand km (American Guam is located 3.4 thousand km from the DPRK). The intercontinental ballistic missile Hwaseong-14, first tested in July 2017, is capable of delivering a charge over a distance of more than 10,000 km, that is, it can reach US limits. According to some information, the missiles of these modifications are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
In addition, the DPRK is developing KN-08 and KN-14 missiles, the flight range of which can be up to 11.5 thousand km.
The exact number of missiles in the strategic forces of the North Korean army is unknown. According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative website, North Korea has about 200 Nodong missiles. , however, independent experts consider this number too high.
Alexei Arbatov, in a conversation with RBC, said that North Korea has from 80 to 100 ballistic missiles of various ranges (from 100-200 km to 1000-1500 km).
According to Vasily Kashin, a senior researcher at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, according to the most conservative estimates, the DPRK has only a few Hwasons, and it is unlikely that their number reaches even ten. These missiles are still under development and testing, which means that they have not yet been put into service and are not ready for mass production. In addition, the DPRK simply will not be able to support more than 20-30 Hwaseong-12 and Hwaseong-14 missiles, even if the tests are completed and mass production begins. The maintenance of such missiles is very expensive: in addition to production, they require a certain infrastructure for maintenance and security, explains Kashin. North Korea has about 100 rockets of the Nodon family, the expert believes.
Total: about 100 missiles with a flight range of up to 1.5 thousand km, less than ten missiles with a flight range of more than 4 thousand km.
Are North Korea's neighbors capable of defending themselves?
In response to the continuing threat from the DPRK, South Korea began deploying the US THAAD missile defense system. The US began deploying THAADs to South Korea in March of this year and has deployed two of at least six planned.
THAAD in South Korea is not yet able to cover the Seoul agglomeration, where 25 million people live, that is, half of the country's population, says Kashin. “It covers 60% of the territories of South Korea, so its usefulness has always raised certain doubts,” the expert says. Given the fact that only two out of six complexes have been deployed so far, Seoul's vulnerability is obvious, but if the remaining four complexes are located closer to the demilitarized zone, that is, to the border between the DPRK and South Korea, then the chances of minimizing the North Korean threat will increase, Kashin believes.
Japan, after the July tests of the DPRK, also decided to strengthen its defenses. Tokyo is considering acquiring new installations for the U.S. sea-based Aegis anti-missile system and deploying its sister system, Aegis Ashore, to the coast to bolster defenses.
Japan already has a two-layer missile defense system - the naval Aegis and the Patriot Advanced Capability-3, or PAC-3 systems, equipped with ground-to-air missiles to hit targets at an altitude of 12 km. The Patriot complex will be activated if the Aegis system fails to intercept aircraft, Aegis Ashore increases the likelihood of a successful interception of missiles.
If the US missile defense system can intercept a missile with a nuclear warhead, it will simply collapse, but it will release radioactive material, explains Kashin. “A very complex process must take place in order for a nuclear charge to be detonated. If the charge and the rocket are destroyed, then a release of radioactive material will occur. The interception itself takes place at an altitude of several tens of kilometers, so the consequences of this release will be insignificant. The contamination of the area will not be very strong, ”the expert concludes.
However, even under ideal conditions, the probability of North Korean missiles being intercepted by US missile defense systems in Japan and South Korea "will not be 100%, because most of the tests were carried out in an environment far from combat," Kashin said. North Korea can launch dozens of missiles at once, and it is hardly possible to intercept such a salvo. “Determine among the missiles going in this salvo which of them have a nuclear warhead, and which one - the usual one, is impossible. Accordingly, the likelihood that you will intercept a nuclear missile is low, ”the expert concludes.
Even if Pyongyang strikes Japan, the country will not cease to exist and will not turn into ashes despite the threats of the DPRK, notes Dmitry Streltsov, Japanese scholar, head of the Department of Oriental Studies at the Faculty international relations MGIMO. However, in his opinion, in the event of a strike on Japan, “we can talk about major damage” and colossal human casualties, given the high population density. However, this does not mean at all that "the islands will sink into the sea," as Kim Jong-un promised.
South Korea is in a more difficult position: the DPRK can use conventional weapons to attack it. For example, the heavy artillery of North Korea, stationed at the very border, is capable of causing irreparable damage to Seoul in the very first hours of the war. However, we are not talking about the simultaneous destruction of South Korea. Finally, there are justified doubts about the ability of the DPRK to inflict any damage to the island of Guam or the US continental territory with the help of nuclear missile weapons, not to mention "wipe the US into ashes and darkness."
Nuclear tests of the DPRK
North Korea conducted the first nuclear tests, the explosion yield was about 1 kt of TNT. The tests triggered an earthquake measuring 4.2 on the Richter scale.
The power of the explosion is about 5 kt in TNT equivalent. The magnitude of the earthquake after testing is 4.7 on the Richter scale.
Power of the third underground nuclear explosion was 10-15 kt, the tests caused an earthquake with a magnitude of about 5 on the Richter scale. North Korean authorities said they have tested a miniature nuclear weapon that can be placed on ballistic missiles of different ranges.
Pyongyang announced its fourth nuclear test, a hydrogen bomb. Its thickness, according to various sources, ranged from 15 to 20 kt. The explosion triggered an earthquake of magnitude 5 on the Richter scale.
The power of the fifth test was, according to the American Arms Control Association, 20-25 kt in TNT equivalent. The magnitude of the earthquake after the explosion reached 5.2 on the Richter scale.
The North Korean authorities said that during the sixth nuclear test they again used a hydrogen bomb. According to the NORSAR Foundation, an explosion with a capacity of about 120 kt of TNT led to an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 on the Richter scale.
Sources: Norwegian Foundation for Geological and Physical Research, American Arms Control Association
Nuclear missile program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea- the conventional name for the scientific research of the DPRK in the field of creating combat nuclear charges and rocket carriers intended for their delivery.
The official names of the programs being implemented and the structure of scientific projects are not published, research on the topic is carried out on the basis of observations external to the DPRK and official reports from the state bodies of North Korea. Rocket tests, according to the official version, are peaceful in nature and are carried out for the purpose of exploring outer space.
Under the protection of the USSR, the DPRK ruler Kim Il Sung was calm about the nuclear threat against his country (in particular, he called the atomic bomb a “paper tiger”) until he learned that during the Korean War of 1950-1953, the United States planned drop seven nuclear charges on Pyongyang and its environs. After that, in 1956, the DPRK and the USSR signed an agreement on the training of nuclear specialists. Researchers often refer to 1952 as the beginning of North Korea's nuclear activity, when the decision was made to establish the Atomic Energy Research Institute. The real creation of nuclear infrastructure began in the mid-1960s.
Work on the creation of nuclear weapons began in the 1970s. Probably, the political decision to start work was made during this period, in connection with the receipt of intelligence data about the existence of a similar program in South Korea. In 1974, the DPRK joined the IAEA. In the same year, Pyongyang turned to China for help in building nuclear weapons; North Korean specialists were admitted to Chinese training grounds.
North Korea and the IAEA
In April 1985, under pressure from the USSR and counting on the construction of a nuclear power plant with its help, the DPRK signed the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons. As a reward for this, in 1986 the USSR supplied Korea with a gas-graphite research reactor with a capacity of 5 MW. An agreement was also signed to build a nuclear power plant in North Korea with four light water reactors of the VVER-440 type. With some probability, all the plutonium available to the DPRK was produced on it. In 1992, this agreement was refined, and instead of four light water reactors, it was decided to supply three, but more powerful VVER-640 reactors. A contract was also signed for the supply of fuel assemblies by the Soviet Union in the amount of about 185 thousand dollars.
South Korean experts doubt that it was a nuclear explosion. In their opinion, there might not have been an explosion at all, and the emission of smoke into the atmosphere was a consequence of a major fire. According to some reports, the area may be a plant for the production of missile components, and the cause of the explosion could be the ignition of rocket fuel or the detonation of warheads. According to other information, military-strategic facilities are concentrated in this area, in particular, the recently built missile base Yonjori, which is an underground missile range where ballistic missiles capable of reaching Japan are stored and tested in deep tunnels.
Official American authorities believe that there was no nuclear explosion. At the same time, American intelligence services noted strange activity in the area of the country's nuclear facilities.
Refusal to negotiate
"Dialogue with the United States ended in 2001 with the coming to power of the Bush administration, which means that we have the right to resume missile testing," said a spokesman for the DPRK Foreign Ministry.
On June 14, 2006, the American media, citing a source in the US presidential administration, stated that satellite photographs are clearly visible launch complex on the territory of the DPRK, where, allegedly, preparations are underway for the launch of the Taekhodong-2 missile, which can reach west coast USA.
On July 5, 2006, North Korea launched several missiles at once - from seven to ten, according to various sources. All missiles fell in international waters. Some reportedly fell dozens of kilometers from Russia's maritime borders, in the Russian economic zone.
On April 5, 2009, the Eunha-2 (Milky Way - 2) rocket was launched from the territory of the DPRK, according to the official version, with the Gwangmyeongson-2 artificial satellite. According to North Korean reports, the satellite has been placed into an elliptical orbit with an inclination of 40.6 degrees, a perigee of 490 km and an apogee of 1,426 km, and is broadcasting Songs of Commander Kim Il Sung and Songs of Commander Kim Jong Il. External sources did not record the appearance of a new satellite in near-Earth orbit.
Nuclear tests
In September 2006, the American media, citing government sources, reported that US reconnaissance satellites detected suspicious activity at a nuclear test site in the northern part of the DPRK - the appearance a large number trucks and cable work. These works were regarded as evidence of preparations for an underground nuclear explosion. South Korea has called on North Korea not to conduct nuclear tests. Pyongyang left these messages without comment.
At the end of September, a bill approved by both houses of the US Congress was sent to US President George W. Bush for signature. The bill imposed sanctions against North Korea and companies cooperating with it, which, according to the United States, are assisting the DPRK in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), missiles and other WMD delivery technologies. The sanctions also included a ban on financial transactions and a denial of export licenses.
On October 3, 2006, the DPRK Foreign Ministry issued a statement stating North Korea's intention to "carry out a nuclear test, provided that its safety will be reliably guaranteed". As a justification for this decision, the threat of nuclear war from the United States and economic sanctions aimed at strangling the DPRK were announced - in these conditions, Pyongyang sees no other way out than to conduct a nuclear test. At the same time, as noted in the statement, "the DPRK is not going to be the first to use nuclear weapons," on the contrary, "it will continue to make efforts to ensure the nuclear-free status of the Korean Peninsula and make comprehensive efforts towards nuclear disarmament and a total ban on nuclear weapons."
On October 6, members of the UN Security Council unanimously approved a statement by the President of the Security Council calling on North Korea to abandon nuclear tests and immediately return to negotiations in the six-party format without preconditions. The draft statement was prepared by Japan. It was she who took the initiative to develop a common position of the world powers regarding the North Korean threat.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe traveled to Beijing and Seoul on October 8, 2006 to discuss the "Korean problem", thus resuming high-level contacts between Japan and China (which had been interrupted five years earlier). This fact testifies to the importance attached by the countries of the region to the first ever test of the Korean atomic bomb. Chinese leader
In the light of recent developments regarding the DPRK's nuclear program, it is once again coming to the fore in international politics. The belligerent statements of official Pyongyang, which follow one after another almost every day, only add fuel to the fire. On March 30, the DPRK announced that its relations with South Korea had “entered a military phase,” and that all problems would now be resolved “as in war time". If we take into account these formulations, North Korea has actually declared war on its southern neighbor. At the same time, both sides of the conflict more than 60 years ago have never officially signed a peace treaty.
At the same time, the Republic of Korea is not inclined to overdramatize the situation. The statements of the DPRK in Seoul are regarded as a continuation of the policy of verbal blackmail. The Ministry of Defense of South Korea confirmed the fact that the troops of the northern neighbor did not notice any signs of preparation for an attack and unusual troop movements. At the same time, a few days ago, the head of the DPRK tourism organization, who visited China, assured worried Chinese tour operators that "there will be no war", urging them to send "as many tourists as possible" to the Juche Country. It is worth noting that five-day excursions to the DPRK with visits to the cities of Pyongyang, Kaesong, Wonsan, as well as the Kymgangsan mountains cost almost $ 1,000 for those who wish. In a country that is experiencing an acute shortage of foreign exchange, tourism plays a very important role.
Nuclear program of the DPRK
North Korea was one of the first countries in the Asia-Pacific region to launch secret work to master military nuclear technology. This is largely due to the situation that developed on the Korean Peninsula after the end of World War II and which resulted in the full-scale Korean War of 1950-1953 between North and South. The United States and its allies, as well as the PRC and the USSR, were drawn into this military campaign. The deployment of American troops and the US tactical sea and air-based tactical nuclear arsenal in South Korea to a large extent contributed to maintaining tension in this region. At one time, the leadership of North Korea had serious fears that in the course of a possible military conflict on the peninsula, these weapons could be used.
The first ruler of the DPRK, Kim Il Sung, gave a very great importance nuclear missile research. He was one of the first leaders of the third world countries to assess the potential of new weapons and, despite a large number of difficulties, began to seek their possession. The United States taught him the first clear lesson when they launched nuclear strikes on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These full-scale tests of the new weapon made a stunning impression on him. And clearly demonstrated to the future North Korean leader that nuclear weapons are not paper tiger”and its use for military purposes can be decisive in achieving victory over the enemy. The second lesson Kim Il Sung learned during the Korean War, when the US military-political leadership seriously considered the possibility of inflicting nuclear strikes across North Korea. It is worth noting that the leader of the DPRK turned out to be a diligent student and the creation of its own nuclear weapons became one of the main programs of the DPRK for many decades.
The foundation in 1964 of a research center in Yongbyon can be considered an active start of work on the nuclear program, where, along with research in the field of nuclear energy, military-applied research soon began. This center was founded with the direct support of the USSR. Already in 1965, the first research reactor IRT-2000 with a capacity of 2 MW was put into operation here. Since 1985, the construction of another nuclear reactor began in Yongbyon, this time its capacity was to be 50 MW. Also in the area of Tongcheon, the construction of a 200 MW reactor was launched. According to experts, these reactors have a dual purpose.
The nuclear program in the DPRK is directly supervised by the Ministry of Atomic Industry, which is part of the State Administrative Council (Cabinet of Ministers). Today, when the design of the simplest nuclear weapons has ceased to be a secret, the most critical element of military nuclear programs is obtaining required amount fissile materials - plutonium or highly enriched uranium. For its nuclear program, North Korea has chosen plutonium as its main base fissile material. That is why information on how much weapons-grade plutonium is currently in North Korea is of the greatest practical value.
At the same time, the high secrecy and closeness of North Korean society make it impossible to give an unambiguous answer to this question. Therefore, here you can rely only on the information of the special services, which was transmitted to the media and the results of approximate calculations. So, for example, to determine the approximate volume of plutonium produced in reactors, experts often use the following simple relationship: during the day, an operating reactor is able to produce 1 gram of plutonium for every megawatt of its power. Based on this, the Yongbyon reactor with a capacity of 5 MW is able to produce 5 gr. plutonium per day or up to 1.8 kg. per year, and a 50-megawatt reactor is already up to 20 kg. plutonium per year, which is enough to make 4-5 nuclear weapons.
During recent decades in the DPRK, work was underway to create an extensive nuclear infrastructure, which includes not only research, but also manufacturing enterprises. At present, the general public knows the location of the main nuclear facilities of the DPRK.
Location of North Korea's nuclear infrastructure facilities
yongbyon
It is actually the main center for the design and manufacture of nuclear weapons. Atomic Energy Research Center, which includes: Institute of Nuclear Electronics, Institute of Nuclear Physics, Institute of Radiation Chemistry, Institute of Isotopes, Radiochemical Laboratory, Critical Assembly with a capacity of 0.1 MW, as well as 3 reactors: a 5 MW reactor, a thermal reactor 8 MW and a 50 MW reactor. The center also includes a nuclear fuel plant, an isotope processing facility, and a testing ground for explosive devices.
Nuclear facilities in Yongbyon
Suncheon, Ungi, Heungnam
Operating uranium mines.
Kuson
Uranium processing plant, obtaining UO2 - uranium dioxide.
Nannam
Nuclear Energy Research Center.
bakchon
Operating uranium mine and enrichment plant, research center for atomic energy. Presumably, this center is developing nuclear weapons.
Pyeongsan
Production of uranium dioxide, Enterprise for the extraction and processing of uranium ore.
Phenson
Atomic Energy Research Center and Pyongsong Science University.
Pyongyang
College of Nuclear Physics as part of the Technological University. Kim Cheek and the College of Nuclear Physics at Kim Il Sung University.
hamhung
The University of the Chemical Industry trains specialists in the field of nuclear materials processing.
An analysis of the nuclear infrastructure of North Korea indicates a wide range of work in this area. At the same time, they cover all aspects of this rather complex scientific and technical problem. Attention is also drawn to the fact that large research centers have been created in the DPRK, which are able to conduct not only theoretical, but also practical research in this area. At the same time, the most weak link look at the production facilities at the disposal of the DPRK for the production of weapons-grade plutonium. This shortcoming is the main limiting factor for North Korea in the issue of the accumulation of its military nuclear arsenal.
North Korea joined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in December 1985, but already in March 1993 announced its desire to withdraw from it. However, the exit dragged on for 10 years, during which the DPRK, if you call a spade a spade, blackmailed the world community with this issue, using it as a trump card in its international politics. On January 11, 2003, the DPRK formally released itself from all obligations under the NPT.
On February 10, 2005, North Korea officially acknowledged for the first time the existence of nuclear weapons of its own production. This was announced by the country's Foreign Ministry, which noted that the DPRK's nuclear weapons are a "nuclear deterrent force" and are "entirely defensive" in nature. On October 9, 2006, the first underground test of a nuclear device was conducted in North Korea. According to information Russian specialists, the power of the underground explosion was 10-15 kt.
Under pressure from the world community, North Korea suspended its nuclear program for 3 years, but eventually resumed it again on April 14, 2009. At the request of North Korea, IAEA inspectors left the country. On May 25, 2009, North Korea conducted its second nuclear test. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the power of the tested nuclear charge was from 10 to 20 kt. Also in May 2010, the DPRK announced successes in thermonuclear fusion, which could increase the yield of its nuclear weapons hundreds of times.
At the end of 2012, the South Korean Ministry of Defense released " white paper”, which presented the views of experts from both South Korea and the United States on the expansion of the North Korean nuclear program. Analyzing images from space, experts said that the DPRK has other uranium enrichment enterprises, in addition to a large center in Yongbyon. Also in this book contained information that North Korea has approximately 40 kg. weapons-grade plutonium, which was obtained by reprocessing spent fuel rods four times.
The next round of aggravation of international tension on the Korean peninsula was facilitated by the third nuclear tests of the DPRK, which were carried out on February 12, 2013. Russian special services estimated the power of the detonated nuclear device at 5 kt. After the third nuclear test, North Korea's rhetoric became more aggressive and led to another escalation of the conflict between the two Koreas, so far only in the form of verbal attacks and threats.
Sources of information:
-http://ria.ru/spravka/20130330/930107861-print.html
-http://www.rg.ru/2013/03/30/kndr-site.html
-http://world.lib.ru/k/kim_o_i/ab.shtml
Kim Jong-un, unlike his relatives and predecessors, does not at all blackmail the world with nuclear developments, but creates a real nuclear missile arsenal.
Explosion for the holiday
On September 9, 2017, North Korea marked the 69th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with another nuclear test.
First, several countries at once recorded increased seismic activity in North Korea, which could mean an explosion of a nuclear charge.
Then the fact of conducting nuclear tests was officially confirmed by Pyongyang. "North Korea will continue to take measures to strengthen the national nuclear forces in quantitative and qualitative terms, in order to ensure the dignity and right to exist of the country in the face of the growing nuclear threat from the United States," the official North Korean news agency KCNA said in a statement.
South Korea, the US and Japan have initiated an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, which is expected to raise the issue of tightening sanctions against Pyongyang.
The problem, however, is that the sanctions on the DPRK are practically non-existent. Moreover, significant progress is being made in North Korea's nuclear missile program.
How it all began
Back in the years of the Korean War, the US command considered the possibility of launching nuclear strikes on the North. Although these plans were not realized, the North Korean leadership was interested in gaining access to technologies that would allow the creation of weapons of this type.
The USSR and China, acting as allies of the DPRK, were cool about these plans.
Nevertheless, in 1965, with the help of Soviet and Chinese specialists, a nuclear research center was founded in Yongbyon, where the Soviet nuclear reactor IRT-2000 was installed. Initially, it was assumed that the reactor would be used for work exclusively on peaceful programs.
In the 1970s, Pyongyang, relying on the support of China, began the first work on the creation of nuclear weapons.
In 1985, the Soviet Union got the DPRK to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. In exchange for this, the USSR supplied Korea with a gas-graphite research reactor with a capacity of 5 MW. An agreement was also signed on the construction of a nuclear power plant in North Korea with four light water reactors of the VVER-440 type.
President Clinton's failed war
The collapse of the Soviet Union changed the situation in the world. The West and South Korea expected the imminent fall of the North Korean regime, while at the same time conducting peace negotiations with it, counting on the liberalization of the political system and its dismantling according to the version of Eastern Europe.
The United States, in exchange for abandoning its nuclear program, promised Pyongyang economic and technical assistance in the development of the peaceful atom. North Korea responded by agreeing to allow IAEA inspectors into its nuclear facilities.
Relations began to deteriorate sharply after IAEA inspectors suspected of concealing a certain amount of plutonium. Based on this, the IAEA demanded a special inspection of two spent nuclear fuel storage facilities, which were not declared, but was refused, motivated by the fact that the facilities have nothing to do with the nuclear program and are of a military nature.
As a result, in March 1993, the DPRK announced its withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Negotiations with the United States made it possible to slow down this process, but on June 13, 1994, North Korea not only abandoned the treaty, but also withdrew from the IAEA.
During this period, according to Newsweek magazine in 2006, the administration of US President Bill Clinton ordered to study the issue of conducting a military operation against North Korea. The military report stated that the operation would cost $100 billion, and the forces of South Korea and the United States would lose about a million people, and the loss of the US army would be at least 100,000 people killed.
As a result, the United States again returned to the tactics of negotiations.
Threats and promises
In late 1994, with the assistance of former US President Jimmy Carter, a "framework agreement" was reached, according to which North Korea pledged to abandon the nuclear weapons program in exchange for deliveries of fuel oil and the creation of two new nuclear reactors on light water, which cannot be used for work on nuclear weapons.
For several years, stability was established. Both sides, however, fulfilled their obligations only partially, but the internal difficulties in the DPRK and the distraction of the United States on other problems ensured a stable situation.
A new escalation began in 2002, when President George W. Bush came to power in the United States.
In January 2002, in his speech, Bush included the DPRK in the so-called "axis of evil." Together with the intention to create a global missile defense system, this caused serious concern in Pyongyang. The North Korean leadership did not want to share the fate of Iraq.
In 2003, negotiations began on the nuclear program of the DPRK with the participation of China, the United States, Russia, South Korea and Japan.
No real progress has been made on them. The aggressive policy of the United States gave rise to the confidence in the DPRK that it was possible to ensure its own security only if it had its own atomic bomb.
In North Korea, they did not particularly hide the fact that research work on nuclear issues continue.
Bomb: Birth
Exactly 12 years ago, on September 9, 2004, a strong explosion was recorded by a South Korean reconnaissance satellite in a remote area of the DPRK (Yangando Province), not far from the border with China. A crater visible from space remained at the site of the explosion, and a huge mushroom cloud with a diameter of about four kilometers grew over the scene.
On September 13, the DPRK authorities explained the appearance of a cloud similar to a nuclear mushroom by explosive work during the construction of the Samsu hydroelectric power station.
Neither South Korean nor American specialists did not confirm that it really was a nuclear explosion.
Western experts believed that the DPRK did not have the necessary resources and technologies to create a full-fledged atomic bomb, and we were talking about a potential rather than an immediate danger.
On September 28, 2004, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK stated at the session General Assembly UN that North Korea has already nuclear-weaponed enriched uranium obtained from 8,000 reprocessed fuel rods from its nuclear reactor. He stressed that the DPRK had no other choice in creating a nuclear deterrence force at a time when the United States declared its goal the destruction of the DPRK and threatened with preventive nuclear strikes.
On February 10, 2005, the DPRK Foreign Ministry for the first time officially announced the creation of a atomic weapons. The world treated this statement as another Pyongyang bluff.
A year and a half later, on October 9, 2006, the DPRK announced for the first time that it had successfully tested a nuclear charge, and its preparation was publicly announced before that. The low power of the charge (0.5 kilotons) raised doubts that it was a nuclear device, and not ordinary TNT.
Speed up in North Korean
On May 25, 2009, North Korea conducted another nuclear test. The power of the underground nuclear explosion, according to the Russian military, ranged from 10 to 20 kilotons.
Four years later, on February 12, 2013, North Korea conducted another atomic bomb test.
Despite the adoption of new sanctions against the DPRK, the opinion remained that Pyongyang was far from creating powerful devices that could be used as real weapons.
On December 10, 2015, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced that his country had a hydrogen bomb, which meant new step in the development of nuclear weapons. On January 6, 2016, another test explosion was carried out, which the DPRK announced as a test of a hydrogen bomb.
South Korean sources call the current test the most powerful in the entire nuclear program of the DPRK. It is also noteworthy that the interval between tests turned out to be the shortest in all the years, which indicates that Pyongyang has made serious progress in terms of improving technology.
More importantly, North Korea said the test was part of the development of nuclear warheads that could be placed on ballistic missiles.
If this is true, then official Pyongyang has come close to creating a real combat nuclear weapon, which is fundamentally changing the situation in the region.
Rockets fly farther
Media reports about the situation in the DPRK, often coming from South Korean sources, give the wrong impression of North Korea. Despite the poverty of the population and other problems, this country is not backward. There are quite enough specialists in advanced industries, including nuclear and missile technologies.
The inhabitants talk about the tests of North Korean missiles with a chuckle - it exploded again, again it did not fly, it fell again.
Military experts monitoring the situation say that North Korean specialists last years made a major technological breakthrough.
By 2016, the DPRK had created a mobile single-stage liquid-propellant ballistic missile "Hwaseong-10" with a firing range of about three thousand kilometers.
In the summer current year The Pukkykson-1 rocket was successfully tested. This solid rocket intended for armament of submarines. Its successful launch was made from a submarine of the DPRK Navy.
This does not fit in with the idea of North Korea as a country with rusty old Soviet aircraft and Chinese tanks.
Experts pay attention - the number of tests in the DPRK in recent years has been growing rapidly, and the technique is becoming more and more complicated.
Within a few years, North Korea is able to create a missile with a range of up to 5000 km, and then a full-fledged intercontinental ballistic missile. Moreover, it will be equipped with a real nuclear warhead.
What to do with North Korea?
There is little doubt that sanctions against the DPRK will be tightened. But previous experience says that this does not affect Pyongyang in any way.
Moreover, Comrade Kim Jong-un, unlike his relatives and predecessors, does not at all blackmail the world with nuclear developments, but creates a real nuclear missile arsenal.
Moreover, even the frank irritation of the main ally, Beijing, which is not interested in escalating the situation in the region, does not stop him.
The question arises: what can be done with North Korea? Even those who perceive Comrade Kim's regime extremely negatively are convinced that it will not be possible to stir up the situation from within. Neither friend nor foe can convince Pyongyang to "behave well".
A military operation against North Korea today will cost the United States much more than it did in the early 1990s, when the Clinton administration made similar plans. In addition, neither Russia nor China will allow a war near their borders, which has every prospect of turning into the Third World War.
Theoretically, Pyongyang could satisfy the guarantees that ensure the preservation of the regime and the absence of attempts to dismantle it.
But recent history teaches that the only such guarantee in modern world is the "nuclear baton" that North Korea is working on.
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