{"id":7026,"date":"2010-12-24T01:12:12","date_gmt":"2010-12-24T01:12:12","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2010-12-24T01:12:12","modified_gmt":"2010-12-24T01:12:12","slug":"N-Korea-may-stage-atom-test-to-boost-heir-says-think-tank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/?p=7026","title":{"rendered":"N.Korea may stage atom test to boost heir, says think-tank"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>North Korea may carry out another atomic test next year to bolster the status of leader-in-waiting Kim Jong-Un, a Seoul state think-tank said Friday, a day after the North threatened a nuclear attack.<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><strong>Tensions remain high on the peninsula a month after the North bombarded a South Korean border island and killed four people including civilians.<\/p>\n<p><\/strong>The North may stage a third test <strong>&#8220;to demonstrate Kim Jong-Un&#8217;s military prowess, to improve plutonium-based nuclear weapons and ratchet up military tensions&#8221;, <\/strong>the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security said.<\/p>\n<p>A new test is needed to improve its plutonium-based bombs using data from the second test in May 2009, the institute, which is affiliated to the foreign ministry, said in a report.<\/p>\n<p>The North has been working for decades to build plutonium-based weapons and last month also disclosed a new uranium enrichment complex &#8212; a potential new way to make bombs.<\/p>\n<p>The report said the North is likely to build up its atomic arsenal next year and <strong>might test a uranium-based weapon &#8220;to maximise the shock to the outside world&#8221;.<br \/>\n<\/strong><br \/>\nWhile six-party nuclear disarmament talks may well resume next year, chances of any progress are slim, it said.<\/p>\n<p>The North is thought to have enough plutonium for maybe six to eight weapons but it is not known whether it can fit them to missile warheads. Nevertheless, <strong>it frequently raises the prospect of nuclear war.<\/p>\n<p>On Thursday the North vowed readiness for a &#8220;sacred war&#8221; using its nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The revolutionary armed forces&#8230; are getting fully prepared to launch a sacred war of justice of Korean style based on the nuclear deterrent at any time necessary to cope with the enemies&#8217; actions deliberately pushing the situation to the brink of a war,&#8221; said armed forces minister Kim Yong-Chun.<\/p>\n<p><strong>An international think-tank urged the two Koreas to accept international arbitration to redraw the flashpoint sea border and lessen the possibility of all-out war.<\/p>\n<p>The International Crisis Group, like many other analysts and the Seoul government, said the North&#8217;s attacks are linked to moves to install Jong-Un as eventual successor.<\/p>\n<p><strong>They are an apparent attempt &#8220;to give the inexperienced heir some appearance of military and strategic prowess&#8221;, <\/strong>the ICG said in a report.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/digitalizednigeria.com\/2010\/12\/24\/n-korea-may-stage-atom-test-to-boost-heir-think-tank-afp\/\" title=\"SOURCE\">SOURCE<\/a><br \/>\n<!--break--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>North Korea may carry out another atomic test next year to bolster the status of leader-in-waiting Kim Jong-Un, a Seoul<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1213,"featured_media":72448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-highlighted-post":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-featured-post-medium":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-featured-post-small":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x90.jpg","colormag-featured-image":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-default-news":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u-113x150.jpg","colormag-featured-image-large":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-block-extra-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-small-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg","colormag-elementor-grid-medium-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/asiancemagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/u.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"Joshua","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/62ee23f8f40307578d1f284ecd823d77f32da8ea35541e7dbdafeb5da1a4e877?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"North Korea may carry out another atomic test next year to bolster the status of leader-in-waiting Kim Jong-Un, a 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