Pffftt…
It’s becoming increasingly clear that North Korea’s nuclear test was a bit of a damp squib, somewhat like its previous missile test. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily make much difference to its significance or the seriousness of the situation. But there is even speculation (from the French) that it was just a lot of conventional explosives. The odd thing, as far as people who know about this sort of stuff are concerned, is that the yield of the explosion is estimated at not more than 800 tons, whereas a first-time nuclear test would usually be a few thousand tons (kilotons).
There appear to be a number of possibilities here:
1. It really was a failed test which should have had a much higher yield
2. It was a sort of preliminary mini-test, or just the best North Korea could manage
3. It was a fake using conventional explosives
4. Suggestions about a failed or fake test are actually deliberate misinformation from sources (largely the US) who want to play down the nuclear test for their own strategic reasons
Admittedly the last possibility is pretty unlikely, but worth bearing in mind. In any case, this seems to be one more reason (in addition to the lack of movement from the US) why the North Korean regime will probably want to do another test in the near future. Hankyoreh speculates on when and where.
