Posted on 12/23/2002 8:05:48 AM PST by AmericanInTokyo
North Korea Breaks Seals on 8,000 Spent Nuclear Fuel Rods
DECEMBER 23, 2002 22:32 (Dong-a Ilbo News, Seoul, S.Korea)
North Korea has removed the seals and surveillance cameras installed to monitor the storage facilities containing 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods that had been closely watched by the IAEA. A couple of days ago, the North also eliminated all IAEA`s inspection devices set up at the nuclear reactor in Yongbyon.
What makes the latest move of North more serious is the fact that the fuel rods have nothing do to with generation of electricity and can produce plutonium, which in turn can produce nuclear weapons. Therefore, the situation is spinning more and more out of control.
So far, it is believed, North Korea has dismantled surveillance devices at two of its 5 nuclear facilities whose operation had been frozen under the 1994 arms control accord in Geneva. The five facilities are the 5MW nuclear reactor in Yongbyon, the storage facility containing 8,000 spent fuel rods, the 50MW nuclear reactor whose construction was supposed to be completed sometime between 1995 and 1996, the 200MW reactor in Taechon, Pyongbook, and the radiochemical laboratory in Yongbyon
The IAEA announced on Sunday, "North Korea has taken additional actions to hinder the operation of the inspection devices on the storage facility of the nuclear wastes containing the 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods. The storage facility is the number one target of our inspection activities."
IAEA`s Secretary General, Mohammed Elbaradei criticized, "The rods contain a considerable amount of plutonium. Therefore, it is a matter of grave concern in connection with the nonproliferation. The action North Korea took this time poses a profound hindrance to IAEA`s inspection activities to prevent the conversion of the nuclear material extracted from the spent fuel rods into production of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosives."
Experts believe that the 8,000 fuel rods could produce 25kg of plutonium #239, which in turn could suffice to produce at lease three nuclear warheads, reported the AFP.
The facility whose seals were broken this time is in vicinity of the 5MW nuclear reactor in Yongbyon. The IAEA had double-sealed the spent fuel rods in stainless containers, and stored them in water tanks with surveillance cameras rolling over them.
One senior South Korean official said, "The IAEA bound 400 stainless containers and hang them on ropes connected above water in such a way that, if a person other than an inspector tried to temper with them, the trace must be left behind. It were these seals that North broke this time. The fuel rods, however, are still in the water tank."
North Korea`s state-run Central Agency reported on December 22 that North Korean regime started removing IAEA`s seals and surveillance cameras that had been set up under the Geneva accord. The agency announced that this action was caused by the United States` discontinuance of the fuel oil shipment.
At first, North Korea, through its Foreign Ministry spokesperson, announced that it would reactivate its nuclear program. Then, on December 21, it removed the seals and cameras on the 5MW reactor in Yongbyon.
Yesterday, South Korean government, through the comments of the Foreign Ministry, demanded, "The additional action on the part of North Korea may increase tension over the Korean Peninsula, and will amplify the concern of the international community over the nonproliferation issue."
The New York Times, citing a senior Bush administration official, reported yesterday that the United States government might consider "non-diplomatic" reactions if North got closer and closer to production of a nuclear weapon.
US State Department spokesperson also warned on Sunday that this action had caused a more serious consequence.
In the meanwhile, the Japanese government defined the removal of the seals as a violation of the 1994 accord, and protested against North Korea`s action via its embassy in Beijing.
Hey, now THIS ain't a bad idea. They'd commit hari-kari just so they wouldn't have to listen to Loud-Mouth Jimmy-bob talking about himself and his self-delusional accomplishments.
SEATTLE TIMES.com: "MISSILES SHOT AT JET ARE READILY AVAILABLE" by Jonathan S. Landay, Knight Ridder Newspapers (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "In May, the FBI warned U.S. law-enforcement agencies and airlines that intelligence reports indicated that Islamic extremists may have smuggled SA-7s and U.S.-made Stinger anti-aircraft missiles into the United States. The reports were based on monitors of Internet chat rooms that Islamic extremists use.") (113002)
stepping back in time...JEWISH WORLD REVIEW.com: "AL-QAEDA'S IRANIAN ESCAPE HATCH" -Column by Richard Z. Chesnoff (COLUMN SNIPPET: "Senior counterterrorist agents in Europe have told me that, despite emphatic denials by the Iranian government, fugitive troops loyal to Osama Bin Laden continue to slip freely across Afghanistan's 600-mile border with Iran. From there, say the sources, they are being smuggled by members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard to a variety of countries in the Middle East, South America and possibly elsewhere.") (March 13, 2002)
WASHINGTON TIMES.com: "CHINA SHIPS NORTH NORTH KOREA INGREDIENT FOR NUCLEAR ARMS" by Bill Gertz (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "North Korean procurement agents succeeded in buying 20 tons of tributyl phosphate, known as TBP, a key chemical used to extract material for nuclear bombs from spent nuclear fuel, said officials familiar with intelligence reports of the transfer.") (121702)
FOX NEWS.com (AP): "NORTH KOREA DEMANDS U.S. APOLOGY" (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "North Korea demanded an apology Friday from the United States for what it described as 'piracy' in the seizure of a ship carrying missiles to Yemen.") (121302)
You have to understand how deeply N Kor hates the US. At the end of the Korean War we had pretty much laid waste to everything they possessed including the infrastructure of the country. Fifty years later they still intend to make us hurt! Couple the intense hatred with the insanity of the national leadership stir in a nuclear bomb or two, and you have the fixins for an attack on the US that could make 9-11 look pretty small. Would they do it? You bet!
I'd like to think that as much as a relatively sane person can, I do.
S. Korea and Japan are more willing to avoid conflict than we are because of their recent history - but I will say this, nobody I know would predict what N. Korea will do, is doing, or thinking.
Maybe Churchill would say, "It is a riddle wrapped in mystery inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key." But then he was talking about Russia, and the key was their own national interest. With nK, if it's not national interest, it is more probably what's in Kim Jong Il's best interest.
Without knowing how sane he is, or hateful of us, it's tough to guess how far he'll push this. But it is a fragile country right now, and it's not in his interest to push this farther than simple concessions.
America is too strong. We need a counter-balance out there to keep us in check, so we don't do evil things like attack Iraq. </sarcasm>
I would not be surprised if Carter really did deliberately help them. I wouldn't be surprised if he was just too stupid to realize what he was doing, either.
We need to look back at what Israel did when they hit Saddam's nuke plant before it came on-line, we need to do the same NOW!!!!!!!!
Why exactly should we launch a strike on a country that has more artillery pieces in its armed forces than the U.S. did before the drawdown? Let's not forget that a good portion of these same artillery pieces are within range of Seoul. I'm sure that the millions of people living in Seoul would think it worth risking their lives so that we could prevent the North Koreans from threatening their lives, but then again, they may not be. If it came to war with NK, we would win, but it would be long, bloody and ugly. Why on earth would you start such a war?
And then what do we do when they open up with the largest collection of artillery pieces on the planet earth? We are in South Korea for the protection of the South Koreans; why on earth should we initiate an action that would result in the deaths of millions of South Korean civilians?
The DNC has no such problems with the GOP however.
Look for W to be blamed for this by the left,his "Axis of Evil " speech will be the reason the poor Koreans felt threatened.
These dog eating untermenschen are going to wish they hadn't started this.
And the North Koreans too.
Not quite, the doctrine of being able to fight two major conventional conflicts simultaneously was abandoned.
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