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| Korea |
| N.Korea Halts Work at Nuclear Facility |
| 2003-09-11 |
| North Korea appears to have halted worked at its Yongbyon nuclear complex, center of its efforts to produce plutonium for atomic weapons, U.S. officials said on Thursday. But they stressed that the reason is not known. They told Reuters possibilities include: Pyongyang has done this as political gesture to encourage negotiations with the United States; it has run into technical difficulties; or, more ominously, it has finished reprocessing fuel needed for half dozen or more nuclear bombs. "There’s not much going on," one U.S. official said when asked about current activity at Yongbyon. Another U.S. official said: "I sense there may be a pause in the action but would be nervous about concluding that for certain." Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly, asked about media reports about Yongbyon inactivity at a Senate hearing on Thursday, said he would only answer questions in a closed session. So what do you all think it means? |
| Posted by:Damn_Proud_American |
| #5 Old Patriot there is another possibility. They have another site up and running somewhere else in their charming gulag. |
| Posted by: Douglas De Bono 2003-9-11 4:07:53 PM |
| #4 Three possibilities: 1. They've hit a snag, and need to back up a bit. 2. They've done all they want to do. 3. They've "had a little accident", and need to wait until things stop glowing. Dealing with nuclear material is different than dealing with ANYTHING else. The NKor have a reputation for not being careful in their programs - tunnels collapsing, equipment not made to specification, but accepted anyway, and just plain carelessness. You only have one chance when you deal with nuke material - goof it up, and you're dead - along with several dozen of your "lab partners". Russia knows - they've had several "accidents". Be interesting to see what settles out from all of this. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2003-9-11 3:49:56 PM |
| #3 "Hey, it's my first lunch break in three years. Can't a nucular physicist eat in peace without all other countries all getting upset about it, fercryingoutloud? Geesh." |
| Posted by: seafarious 2003-9-11 1:10:34 PM |
| #2 Probably means they've made enough |
| Posted by: Yosemite Sam 2003-9-11 12:57:26 PM |
| #1 Take lileks advance and nuke the site, then come down hard on North Korea for the nuclear accident. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-9-11 12:53:01 PM |