US scientist shown 'vast new nuclear facility' in recent visit to North Korea
83 replies, posted
[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11805111[/url]
[highlight]TL;DR[/highlight]
[list][*]A US nuclear scientist was shown a new nuclear facility with over 1,000 centrifuges for enriching uranium in North Korea last week
[*]He says it was "ultra-modern" and up to the standards of American plants
[*]The plant seems to be intended for civilian nuclear power but is an indicator of how experienced and determined North Korea are with nuclear technology
[*]North Korea is not known to have a uranium weapons project, but the scientist says the plant "could be readily converted to produce highly enriched uranium bomb fuel" if desired[/list]
[quote=BBC News]An American nuclear scientist says he was shown a vast new nuclear facility when he visited North Korea last week.
Dr Siegfried Hecker said he had been shown "more than 1,000 centrifuges" for enriching uranium, which can be used for making nuclear weapons.
The Stanford University scientist was stunned at how sophisticated the plant was, according to reported remarks.
When international weapons inspectors were expelled from North Korea in 2009, the plant did not exist, officials say.
Dr Hecker's discovery was first reported in the New York Times, where he spoke of being taken to see an "ultra-modern control room".
In subsequent remarks obtained by AP news agency, he said that unlike other North Korean facilities it "would fit into any modern American processing facility", and spoke of more than 1,000 centrifuges "all neatly aligned and plumbed below us".
He said the facilities appeared to be primarily for civilian nuclear power - and he saw no evidence of plutonium production.
But Dr Hecker said the new facilities he viewed "could be readily converted to produce highly enriched uranium bomb fuel", AP reported.
The North is believed to have weaponised enough plutonium for at least six atomic bombs but is not known to have a uranium-based weapons programme.
[b]New talks?[/b]
He did not specify exactly where the new facility was located, but he said he had been taken to it during a visit to North Korea's main nuclear complex at Yongbyon, about 100km (60 miles) north of the capital Pyongyang.
Dr Hecker - the 67-year-old former head of the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory - earlier also backed up claims that, in a separate advance, North Korea is constructing a light-water nuclear reactor.
New satellite images appear to show the reactor being built at Yongbyon.
Light-water reactors are primarily for civilian energy purposes but require uranium to be enriched for use in them - uranium that could then be further enriched to weapons-grade levels.
The report came as Stephen Bosworth, a senior US state department official responsible for North Korea, was travelling to Asia to try to revive six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear programme.
Beginning with a stop in the South Korean capital Seoul, Mr Bosworth will then travel to Tokyo and Beijing.
North Korea has nuclear and missile programmes and conducted underground atomic tests in 2006 and 2009.
The speed with which the country is pressing ahead with its nuclear programme will deepen suspicions that it is receiving help from abroad in circumventing United Nations sanctions, correspondents say.
Multinational talks on how to end the North's nuclear programme stalled when tensions rose over the alleged North Korean sinking of a South Korean warship in March, in which 46 South Korean sailors died.
The North has reportedly expressed a conditional willingness to return to talks and some analysts suggest it may have revealed these new uranium enrichment facilities in a bid to strengthen its negotiating hand.[/quote]
uh oh spaghetti-o's
Shit.
Uh oh. Time to get Mr. Burke.
[img]http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/images/fo3_burke.jpg[/img]
Oh cmon that was funny.
Baba Vanga says WW3 starts in November of 2010. Is this only the beginning?
shit's going to go down people
Now begins the beginning
Its the 21st of November. I wouldn't get too excited.
We're all gonna die etc
inb4 "bomb em all"
I can see there being a second 'Chernobyl'. The plant may have been shown to be ultra-modern and up to standard to the scientist, but we all know how set up foreign visits are.
I'd laugh if they built just a clean and modern hallway with windows, but everything outside the hallway/presentation area was falling apart and nuclear waste was flowing all over and people were growing limbs.
A thousand Uranium gas centrifuges? A thousand centrifuges "all neatly aligned and plumbed"? Does that mean they are working in tandem?
Holy fuck. That's a nuke factory.
Jesus Christ.
It sucks how everyone has to have nuclear weapons now like if it proves you got a big dick or something.
...or maybe he was threatened by death if he didnt say that to us?
And yet they don't have enough energy during nighttime so every single volt is dedicated to what?
Lights around Kim's goddamn fucking statues. When people are starving.
So glad I live on the eastern seaboard right now
:byodood:
And yet Iran gets the absolute fucking dickbutt sanctioned out of them, and with NK it's like, 'k'.
I swear to god it's this fucking Israel and it's shit publicity around Iran influencing America.
We also sell Nuclear Merchandises like a dose of uranium for only $5.00!
[QUOTE=Kim_Jong_il;26201020]We also sell Nuclear Merchandises like a dose of uranium for only $5.00![/QUOTE]
How will anyone in North Korea afford it?
[QUOTE=Kim_Jong_il;26201020]We also sell Nuclear Merchandises like a dose of uranium for only $5.00![/QUOTE]
Do you ship internationally? My friend Mr. Ahmadinejad is in the market.
Well so long as nobody builds weapons and goes ballistic nuclear power may actually improve the standard of living in NK.
[QUOTE=BmB;26201254]Well so long as nobody builds weapons and goes ballistic nuclear power may actually improve the standard of living in NK.[/QUOTE]
You mean the standard of living for Kim's inner circle.
[QUOTE=David29;26199645]I can see there being a second 'Chernobyl'. The plant may have been shown to be ultra-modern and up to standard to the scientist, but we all know how set up foreign visits are.[/QUOTE]
if the plant is 'ultra modern' then im sure the failure rate has significantly decreased
[QUOTE=RayDark;26201017]And yet Iran gets the absolute fucking dickbutt sanctioned out of them, and with NK it's like, 'k'.
I swear to god it's this fucking Israel and it's shit publicity around Iran influencing America.[/QUOTE]
because NK hasn't been sanctioned to shit by the UN, EU, and a shitload of countries separately :downs:
[QUOTE=RayDark;26201017]And yet Iran gets the absolute fucking dickbutt sanctioned out of them, and with NK it's like, 'k'.
I swear to god it's this fucking Israel and it's shit publicity around Iran influencing America.[/QUOTE]
nk is right next to china
Visits by foreigners to North Korea are usually heavily staged and monitored, though I don't see how they could fake an "ultra-modern" facility like that.
[editline]21st November 2010[/editline]
[QUOTE=RayDark;26201017]And yet Iran gets the absolute fucking dickbutt sanctioned out of them, and with NK it's like, 'k'.
I swear to god it's this fucking Israel and it's shit publicity around Iran influencing America.[/QUOTE]What're you talking about? North Korea is almost completely politically isolated from the rest of the world, save for China and the various Middle East countries they sell their stuff to.
STOP children, whats that sound?
[editline]21st November 2010[/editline]
everybody look whats goin down
North Korean nuclear energy / bombs thats what :))
[QUOTE=RayDark;26201017]And yet Iran gets the absolute fucking dickbutt sanctioned out of them, and with NK it's like, 'k'.
I swear to god it's this fucking Israel and it's shit publicity around Iran influencing America.[/QUOTE]
I swear to God, you're an idiot.
You just had to drag Israel hate into this discussion, didn't you?
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