North Korea’s first nuclear test was in 2006; it’s conducted three more since
Since North Korea conducted its first nuclear test in 2006, the United States, South Korea, China and other nations have tried to stop Pyongyang from becoming a fully armed nuclear state. Yet despite its abject poverty and isolation, North Korea has made remarkable technical progress putting together a workable nuclear weapon.
The tests have been conducted in the northeast sector of North Korea, an isolated and heavily forested area about 6,000 feet in elevation. The nearest city or town is 14 miles away. Experts outside North Korea typically analyze the seismic signature of each explosion and attempt to collect atmospheric samples by «sniffer» spy planes.
Here is a look at the four tests conducted by North Korea and the international response to them.
Oct. 9,2006
Nearly four years after dropping out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, North Korea tested its first nuclear weapon. The explosion measured 4.2 in magnitude. Small by nuclear standards, it was considered a failure. But the U. N. Security Council swiftly denounced the North Korean action and began work on a U. S.-sponsored resolution aimed at punishing the country for violating a moratorium on nuclear testing.
World leaders urged the North’s leader, Kim Jong Il, to give up the country’s nuclear program and return to negotiations. China, which rarely spoke out publicly against its neighbor, did so this time, strongly urging “the North Korean side to abide by its pledges on denuclearization and to stop any action that would worsen the situation.»
May 25,2009
North Korea announced it had conducted its second nuclear test. The U. S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude 4.7 tremor in the northeast. The test followed months of tension during which North Korea had repeatedly rejected international pleas to abandon its burgeoning nuclear program.
