Although there was every reason to expect the regime of despot Kim Jong-il to hold its second nuclear test, the question people on the firing line in South Korea are asking themselves is, why now? This second test, which was reportedly far more successful than the first in 2006 and equal in power to the bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima, has enraged and rattled the rest of the countries in the region.
According to this analysis from The Daily North Korea, a publication dedicated to getting the truth of what happens inside the Hermit Kingdom to the outside world and which is staffed in large measure by North Korean defectors:
“First, it could be related to the North’s domestic situation. Since Kim Jong-il’s illness, North Korea has confronted many challenges to its domestic stability. … Disagreements within the ruling family and inner circle on appointing a successor to Kim Jong-il might not be resolved. Pushing forward the date of the nuclear test may have been part of an attempt to settle any remaining disagreements and unify the leadership with this hard-line move.”
Second, North Korea is attempting to press the United States to hold bilateral talks after being acknowledged as a nuclear-armed state. Since Kim Jong-il’s illness, the North has been issuing threats and challenges to the international community. The second nuclear test is part and parcel of that trend. At the same time, it is an appeal to Beijing to act as an intermediary between the U.S. and North Korea, since Pyongyang knows that China needs and desires calm and peaceful neighbors on its eastern flank.”
May 25, 2009
South Korea – Daily North Korea – Original Article (English)
The Chosun [Korean] Central News Agency reported that on Monday, at 9:54 am [10:54pm Sunday EST], North Korea “successfully” conducted its second underground nuclear test. The Blue House swiftly convened an emergency meeting of the National Security Council.
According to the KCNA, “The Republic (North Korea) successfully conducted a second underground nuclear test on May 25, 2009, as part of measures to strengthen its nuclear self-defenses. In light of the explosive power and use of highly-developed technology, the test was carried out safely.”
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