Posted on 10/14/2007 3:04:42 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Yonhap News
2007.10.14
N. Korea is beefing up security force and installing wire fences around its nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, Kilju, N. Hamkyong Province, where it conducted the nuclear test last October. S. Korean and U.S. intelligence are closely looking into this development in order to figure out their intention.
A government source said on Oct. 14, "It is my understanding that we picked up intelligence that wire fences are being set up and security forces are being beefed up at Punggye-ri nuclear test site. S. Korean and U.S. intelligence keep close watch over Punggye-ri area and are trying to figure out N. Korea's intention."
He said, "There are many military units stationed around Punggye-ri, and they are all in charge of (test site's) security. They strictly restrict access to the site except for those cleared for access."
Regarding this development, both S. Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities suspect that N. Korea is doing it in order to (1) do a maintenance work for nuclear test site or (2) perform analysis of the last year's test and clean-up or (3) prevent outsiders from taking soil sample to analyze the result of nuclear test including its magnitude.
He explained, "I think they will not resume any nuclear activity in Punggye-ri because N. Korea agreed to 2nd stage for complying 9/19 joint declaration for peaceful verifiable denuclearization in Korean Peninsula. The (intelligence) authorities suspect that they are doing clean-up, believing that the radioactive contamination of Punggye-ri test site has now gone away naturally."
However, the government authorities only commented, "What is going on in Punggye-ri is routine activity," shying away from giving further details.
N. Korea dug shafts on the eastern and western side of a mountain in Punggye-ri, Kilju, and conducted a nuclear test at the eastern shaft on Oct. 9 last year.
'Second Stage Measures for Complying 9/19 Declaration' announced on Oct. 3 stipulates that disabling of experimental 5MW nuclear reactors, reprocessing facilities(radioactive chemical lab,) and production facilities for nuclear fuel rods in Yongbyon would be complete by Dec. 31, 2007. However, it does not include the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
Regarding this aspect, the government authorities said, "Punggye-ri nuclear test site is part of nuclear weapon category, thus is not part of items to be declared by the end of this year. We will just have to wait and see what N. Korea would do (with the Punggye-ri site.)"
Correction: the “/begin my translation” near the end should be “/end my translation.”
Ping!
We really need to ask Jim to add an "edit button"
” However, it does not include the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. “
I knew that somehow Little Kimmee had his fingers crossed when he made this agreement....
Chris Hill is a negotiator in the fine tradition of Maddie Albright, Bill Richardson, and Jimmuh Carter....
The under statement of the year!
Doesn’t Iran have the raw materials and places to enrich and so forth? And North Korea has the engineers. It would seem that North Korea doesn’t need to do the enriching on its own soil. It only needs to provide technology.
Or was that small nuclear device test in NK (quite a few months ago) only a dud, because our pride tells us so? And we don’t want to believe that the Russians provided the facility design for that.
Hans Brix! Roh Noh!
IAF? Perhaps not, but Israeli special ops? Maybe.
Little Kimmy may be concerned about something similar to Israeli commandos snatching something deep inside Syria.
Extra ground security would explain the above, but be rather useless against modern aircraft, it seems...
He’s ronery
OH OH what going on
Leave to Israeli commando to find not only nukes in North KOrea also Chia Pet black market copy of team America on DVD
Leave to Israeli commando to find not only nukes in North KOrea also Chia Pet black market copy of team America on DVD
No doubt, they are afraid the Israelis are coming.
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