THREATS OF NORTH KOREA: 10 years since the first nuclear test

The first nuclear test in North Korea, since Kim Jong-Il's dictatorship, began on the 9th of October, 2006, and Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of North Korea's first nuclear test, and the first month since the recent and the most powerful nuclear test to date.

There were a total of five nuclear tests occurred in North Korea. The second was in May 2009, the third was in February 2013, and the recent two tests; one by January of this year and the latest last month. The previous two were under Kim Jong-Il's rule while the other were under the rule of his son, the current leader of the DPRK Kim Jong-Un. Concern is rising that the North may start another as it aims to establish itself as a "nuclear power".

Experts believed that the Korean Peninsula is honing its nuclear technology with each test. The first test said to have had an explosive yield equivalent to less than one kiloton of TNT. The recent test is estimated at 10 to 12 kilotons.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong HO told the UN General Assembly last month that the nuclear program is a self-defensive measure against the United States, stressing that his country will continue to strengthen its nuclear arsenal.

The South Korean government is on high alert for possible threats from North Korea.

Source: NHK World