Foreign Press Skeptical over N. Korea’s Explanation

Major international press reported on September 14 of the explanation by North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun on the cause of a huge explosion that occurred in Kim Hyong-jik County, Yanggang Province last week. Paek verified that the blast was a consequence of a deliberate demolition for the construction of a hydroelectric power plant. Also, some said that even though it is hard to connect directly this blast to a nuclear weapon test, there is a possibility that North Korea is playing a trick on the international society with this incident to imply its possession of a nuclear weapon, or it is simply flaunting its power.

Mysteries Unsolved—

The New York Times reported on September 14 that this explosion, just like the blast in April that took place at a railway station in Yongcheon shortly after a train with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on board passed by, brings up much suspicion. It pointed out that this explosion site is where North Korea’s strategic missile camp is located. It also expressed skepticism over why North Korea did the blasting at night, ignoring safety concerns.

CNN reported on September 13 that there are countless rumors surrounding the large mushroom cloud produced on a national holiday, introducing in detail the “October Surprise,” a rumor spread in Washington on the possibility of North Korea’s enforcing a nuclear weapon experiment.

The Wall Street Journal questioned North Korea’s trustworthiness. Even though the North Korean government announced that it would show the explosion site to foreign diplomats, it is not clear when that will occur, the paper said.

Intentional Explosion—

The UPI reported on September 13 that the blast could be a bold action by North Korea in order to make the world believe that North Korea possesses nuclear weapons, quoting a Russian expert.

The explosion can be a diplomatic chicanery by North Korea in order to make other nations think that North Korea has a capacity to own nuclear weapons, reported the UPI, quoting an expert at the Russian Academy of Science. North Korea tends to confuse enemies or its counterparts in order to create secrets and to hide reality, and this incident can be part of North Korea’s diplomatic policy, the expert said.

The New York Times cited an analysis made by Dr. Kim Tae-woo of a state research center, the Korean Institute of Defense Analysis. Kim said that uncertainties over this explosion can be interpreted as another example of North Korea’s typical “brinkmanship diplomacy” and “strategic ambiguity” in negotiating with the U.S.

"It was a way to send out the message and boast that it can stage such a large-scale explosion if it wanted to," Kim added.

The Los Angeles Times quoted a statement made by Joseph Cirincione of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “It (North Korea) often takes these kinds of provocative actions when it thinks it will improve its negotiation position," said Cirincione.

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