▲ Google Earth image of the alleged area of North Pyongan Province
Posted on 11/25/2011 5:49:09 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
NK Running 'Backpack Bomb' Unit
By Park Jun Hyeong
[2011-11-25 21:22 ]
▲ Google Earth image of the alleged area of North Pyongan Province
The North Korean military has established a new military brigade in North Pyongan Province which apparently specializes in backpack-sized tactical nuclear weapons. The brigade, which masquerades as a logging brigade, is reportedly part of the 8th Corps of the Chosun People's Army, which has jurisdiction over the province.
A South Korean source close to the North Korean military told The Daily NK on Friday, "Three new brigades have been stationed within the 8th Corps."
One of them, the source said, has been moved up to the border region from further south near the Daedong River to intensify security in the area. The second is Unit 125, a newly created special forces brigade, while the third is the tactical nuclear weapons brigade.
The source explained, “The logging brigade looks as if it has been established to supply lumber, but actually the troops are being trained in the use of tactical nuclear weapons.” Asked whether usable nuclear weapons may have been stationed with the brigade, the source answered, “It is certainly possible.”
Information has been around for some time suggesting that a tactical nuclear weapons unit had been moved into North Pyongan Province. A recent high level defector appeared to confirm the information during the process of questioning that North Korean refugees all undergo when they arrive in South Korea.
On a related note, Liberty Forward Party lawmaker Park Sun Young claimed last month during an a National Assembly hearing that North Korea is operating a new uranium enrichment facility in the same area, Dongchang County. Park said the facility was completed in 2006 and that the authorities have been developing uranium-based nuclear weapons there since 2007.
 ▲ The basic structure of a miniaturized tactical nuclear weapon in a bag (© Monterrey Institute for International Studies) |
'Backpack bombs', known alsoas SADMs, are miniaturized tactical nuclear weapon, usually weighing between 30-50kg, light enough to be transported to their target inside a backpack. In the 1980s the US Army brought them onto the Korean Peninsula, but withdrew them along with all other nuclear weapons at the beginning of the 1990s.
However, despite the seemingly alarming news, South Korean experts are cautious about suggesting North Korea has the technical ability required to equip the new brigade.
Professor Lee Eun Cheol of Seoul National University’s Department of Nuclear Engineering said, "I think for North Korea to construct a nuclear bomb small enough to be loaded into a backpack would not be that hard," he said. “But what would not be so easy is to transport the device, put it together in a short period of time and detonate it, and it would be even harder to do it by remote control.”
"Based on North Korea's past nuclear tests results, which were not particularly good, the technology itself does not seem to be so advanced. But if they have now brought out a 'backpack bomb' brigade, then it could be that that this technological problem has been solved to a considerable extent," he added.
South Korean intelligence officials say that intelligence regarding the existence of the brigade has been received, but that they are not in a position to confirm or deny it yet.
SADM (Special Atomic Demolition Munition,) ping!
Wait until they start selling these to Muzzie terrorists.
Syria..
If they have “suitcase nukes” (which I understand are more “steamer-trunk nukes”), then they are old Soviet ones that they acquired on the black market and refurbished. Small nukes are technically very difficult to make, and I doubt the Norks are up to it considering the fizzle in one of their few tests.
Of course, refurbishing an old Soviet made nuke is much easier.
BTTT
You may be right. My hunch is, though, that they don’t have operational ones yet. They are trying to have one soon. If that does not work out, they will go for a dirty bomb, which can irradiate large area. Some say the damage is more psychological than physical. However, that would be enough to achieve their goal, be it for general population(or soldiers for that matter.)
Wait until they start selling these to Muzzie terrorists.
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Wouldn’t doubt they already are (have).
Their top priority Muzzy customer: Iran
Where does the Red Mercury go?
Yep. Russia is in the ‘mix’, too.
And with our current Homeland Security concentrating on the danger of “Turkey Frying” we our set up like duck pins.
Whatever their actions, the North Korean ruling clique are absolutely determined to projest their own trademark brand of evil out into the wider world.
If these morons aren’t stopped, we can soon look for tactical nukes to be smuggled across the border with South Korea - or America’s own borders.
I agree with your statement. We are facing dirty bomb homicide squads. Next up Hezzbulla will deploy radioactive dirty bombs against Israel.
Go ya one better... C204 portable time machine.
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I like it that Israel has made it clear that they will melt mecca into raadioactive glass if they are hit with a nuke
These muzzia diaper heads are surprisingly easy to defeat- just chase after them with a bacon snadwich
There is an entire town in Spain (or is it Portugal?) that is world famous for its Pork Sausage products- but they originally started the industry so they could hang pork sausage from each residence to keep the muzzies out (and it worked like kryptonite)
A neutron bomb would look like a fissile fizzle to any outside observer.
Itty-bitty boom, lots and lots of neutrons...
I’d always assumed that once they were far enough along with their tests, they could just acquire what they needed as finished devices from whoever was selling, and then just claim they’d made them themselves. The intent of the supplier may not just be to help the North Koreans kill
South Koreans. The intent may be incentive for Koreans to just get rid of themselves.
It would make sense for them to train up 1 or 2 units BEFORE they actually had the UNITS.
I guess they have them run around, emplacing and then setting several simulated devices, ~ 50 kg.
The unit probably does have some radioactive material, and during drills an OpFor N.E.S.T. team attempts to intercept the offensive team. The offensive team tries to spot and evade the, “NEST team”.
And they’ll hack away at that for a couple years. Then they’ll get their hands on the REAL THING, which will weigh about the same, and have a similar UI. The first couple times the team drills with the real thing, they won’t even know it, I’d wager, though of course the devilish thing won’t actually go off.
Then they’ll be told, “You guys already DID DRILL with the REAL THING..!!” —that might be a lie, though...
That’s to give the team confidence.
If the time comes for the team to actually use it, they’ll be told the target is somewhere other than it actually turns out to be —that’s to MAKE SURE the whole team is killed in the explosion (no lose ends).
Those people are freaking sick.
“If they have “suitcase nukes” (which I understand are more “steamer-trunk nukes”), then they are old Soviet ones that they acquired on the black market and refurbished. Small nukes are technically very difficult to make, and I doubt the Norks are up to it considering the fizzle in one of their few tests.
Of course, refurbishing an old Soviet made nuke is much easier.”
True, but having a fizzle may be worse than actually having it go off - and a ground-level detonation is inherently very dirty.
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