Free Republic

U.S.: Blast Consistent with N.Korea Explanation Tue Sep 14, 2004 11:51 AM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea's explanation that a blast last week was demolition work for a power project rather than a nuclear explosion squared with what Washington saw, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday. The U.S. assessment should help quell speculation the blast was related to military activity in the reclusive state as has been widely discussed among analysts and the media in neighboring South Korea. "The information they gave is consistent with what we saw, that it might have been demolition work for a hydroelectric...

N Korea says it blew up mountain North Korea has given an explanation for the huge blast last Thursday which prompted speculation that it was a part of a nuclear test. The country's foreign minister, Paek Nam Sun, said the blast was the deliberate demolition of a mountain as part of a hydro-electric project. His remarks were in response to a call for information by the visiting UK Foreign Office minister, Bill Rammell. North Korea had said absolutely nothing about the incident until now.