|
"Is North Korea really going to push the red button?" This is the question that has been troubling the world for the past several days. Since the communist country began what appears to be preparations for an underground nuke test earlier this week, U.S. spy satellites have been zooming in on a suspected test site in Kilju, in the northeastern part of the country.
And intelligence officials in Washington said Friday the latest satellite images revealed North Korea dug and refilled a significant hole in the area, while bleachers were being set up, presumably to view a test. But whether the North actually buried a nuclear weapon remains uncertain.
Some analysts are working under the assumption that North Korea will in fact test a bomb without much warning, while others are saying the country is simply bluffing, since it knows when U.S. spy satellites are overhead.
The head of the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei said the development was a very bad signal. He warned Pyongyang must not do it, and if it detonates a nuclear bomb, the consequences will be grave.
He said it would have "disastrous political repercussions," not to mention environmental implications in terms of radiological fallout. Mr. ElBaradei also urged global leaders to make contact by telephone with Kim Jong-il to convince him to restrain from making a mistake.
The IAEA chief added the world should make it clear that North Korea's "nuclear blackmail" will not work, and that the international community has zero tolerance of any new nuclear weapon state.
Arirang TV
|
