(Photo by ISC Kosmotras)
North Korea admitted to conducting another nuclear test today:
September 9, 2016
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said it conducted a “higher level” nuclear test explosion on Friday that will allow it to finally build “at will” an array of stronger, smaller and lighter nuclear weapons. It was the North’s fifth atomic test and the second in eight months.
South Korea’s president called the detonation, which Seoul estimated was the North’s biggest-ever in explosive yield, an act of “fanatic recklessness.” Japan called North Korea an “outlaw nation.”
North Korea’s boast of a technologically game-changing nuclear test defied both tough international sanctions and long-standing diplomatic pressure to curb its nuclear ambitions. It will raise serious worries in many world capitals that North Korea has moved another step closer to its goal of a nuclear-armed missile that could one day strike the U.S. mainland. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_KOREAS_TENSIONS_ASOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-09-09-06-38-34
September 9, 2016
SEOUL —
North Korea has confirmed that seismic activity that occurred Friday morning near its Punggye-ri nuclear test site was caused by a nuclear test.
An announcer with North Korean state television KCNA read a statement from the Nuclear Weapon Research Institute of the DPRK confirming a successful nuclear test was conducted to assess the capacity of a nuclear warhead that can now be miniaturized to fit on various types of missiles.
“This nuclear warhead explosion test is part of responsive measures to threats and sanctions from the U.S. and enemies denying our strategic position as a nuclear state,” The KCNA announcer said during the broadcast.
Pyongyang did not advise the international community in advance of its plans to conduct a nuclear test.
September 9 marks the 68th anniversary of the founding of North Korea and Pyongyang has in the past marked important holidays by conducting nuclear and missile tests. …
South Korean President Park Geun-hye condemned North Korea for conducting its fifth nuclear test in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
President Park, who is in Laos for the ASEAN security summit said this nuclear provocation,” proves Kim Jong Un’s rabid recklessness to cling to nuclear development.” …
South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Gyo-ahn says Seoul will call for additional and stronger U.N. sanctions against North Korea.
“We are facing a grave situation which is totally different from the past when North Korea conducted nuclear tests once in three years. North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats are clear and existential,” said Hwang.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said if a nuclear test is confirmed, it would be “something absolutely inadmissible” and that Tokyo would call for action from the U.N. Security Council. …
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said “at the appropriate moment today I am confident President (Barack) Obama will address this and we will certainly be discussing this in the context of the United Nations, I am sure.” … The White House released a statement reiterating President Obama’s “unbreakable” commitment to allies in Asia and the world, and said the president will consult with other leaders to make sure North Korea’s provocations are met with “serious consequences.”
The Pentagon said the North Korean test was “yet another flagrant violation” of U.N. Security Council resolutions, as well as a “serious provocation.”http://www.voanews.com/a/quake-reported-in-north-korea-south-korea-says-likely-nuclear-test/3499945.html
So, North Korea is pushing ahead, despite international sanctions, etc. Notice also the following from a German source:
September 9, 2016
Analyst: ‘We need an entirely new North Korea strategy’
Repeated sanctions and warnings have been unable to deter North Korea from pursuing its nuclear weapons program. East Asia expert Rüdiger Frank tells DW that the international community has totally failed on this front. …
Rüdiger Frank: Initial reports from both within and outside North Korea suggest that it was the most powerful and largest nuclear test ever conducted by the North. But a detailed technical analysis has to be done to verify Pyongyang’s claims. Still, the fact remains that the North has been continuously advancing towards developing operational nuclear weapons. … We see very clearly that the international efforts to dissuade the North from developing nuclear weapons have been a colossal failure. …
And finally, there is a need to reach an international agreement aimed at freezing the North’s nuclear program at a certain level, and preventing it from producing nuclear warheads in increasing numbers. Such a deal is conceivable, although it will be a tough task, both in terms of marketing this idea as well as its actual implementation. But I believe it’s the only way forward as condemnations and sanctions haven’t been able to bring about the desired effect. http://www.dw.com/en/analyst-we-need-an-entirely-new-north-korea-strategy/a-19539656
Rüdiger Frank is correct that international sanctions, including moves by the Obama Administration, have not stopped North Korea from pursuing advancing its military and nuclear capacities But he is wrong about the way to fix it:
The Bible says:
16 Destruction and misery are in their ways;
17 And the way of peace they have not known.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:16-18)
Sadly, that is the case with North Korea. It will take the return of Jesus and the Kingdom of God to truly bring peace.
Notice also the following:
September 9, 2016
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) on Friday expressed concern that the miniaturization of nuclear weapons is faster than expected at National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee, Yonhap reported.
The emergency meeting of the Intelligence Committee, held just a few hours after the North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test and its second of the year, was presented by the director of the NIS Lee Byung-ho, according to an unnamed NIS official.
On the same day, an artificial earthquake with a magnitude likely over 5.0 on the Richter Scale was detected near the DPRK’s Punggye-ri testing site.
The North’s aim is to “miniaturize the nuclear [weapon enough] to be able to mount on the ‘Scud-type’ missile,” National Assembly spokespeople told press after the Intelligence Committee meeting. https://www.nknews.org/2016/09/n-koreas-nuke-miniaturization-faster-than-expected-nis-admits/
Miniaturization of nuclear weapons can make them more likely to be used in various circumstances, including terroristic ones.
North Korean politicians have often been playing a dangerous game with their country and their people, and hopefully they will realize that a military conflict is not in their interests.
North Korea is one of relatively few small nations to have nuclear weapons and often brags about them and their potential use.
Additionally, like the Iranians who seemingly want nuclear weapons, those in North Korea are believed to be capable of perhaps detonating an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) type bomb. Such a bomb could cause massive damage to countries like the USA. But, if they were to do that, the USA could still takeover North Korea.
While North Korea is not prophesied to take over the USA (Europe is per Daniel 11:39, etc.), as I wrote in the past, it certainly is possible that it may decided to actually launch one or more missiles at the USA in the future (or take other “terroristic actions; cf. Leviticus 26:26).
North Korea, sadly, is certainly capable of terrorism. It has threatened the USA and its White House in the past (see North Korea threatens the White House).
And while some may find it hard to believe, North Korea is believed to have the ability to knock out a lot of the USA’s power supply with its electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon capability (see VOA: ‘US Defenseless Against North Korean EMP Threat’). (This type of weapon may also be used by the coming prophesied King of the South and/or the King of the North.)
The USA, despite its military strength, is vulnerable to being hurt by EMP weapons as well as nuclear weapons, chemical weapons, dirty bombs, terrorism, and biological weapons. Everyone knows that EMPs can basically work as advertised, this may give the North Koreans more reason to look further into using them if they feel pressed.
If North Korea does take certain steps to sufficiently aggravate the USA into a full military conflict, it needs to realize that it likely will no longer exist as it is. At some point in time, however, I believe that both Koreas will be reunited based upon certain verses in Revelation, yet whether this will be because of a war involving the USA or something else, that is not clear.
The Koreans are Asians and occupy the “land of the sunrise” (Revelation 16:2) and I believe that they are part of the kings of the east that the Book of Revelation discusses having a role in the end time (Revelation 9:16). For years I have written that I expect that they will reunify. The unification of North and South Korea is consistent with biblical prophecy. But North Korea may take unusual actions before then, and it may regret doing so.
Whether this reunification will be because of a war involving the USA, South Korea, or something else (such as waiting until Revelation 9:16; & 16:2), is not clear. But the situation in Korea will change.
As Jesus said, “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37)
News presenter: John Hickey
