Research teams at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) and the Jilin Earthquake Agency in Changchun have separately concluded that North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site, tunneled 700 meters below Mount Mantap, collapsed on Sept. 3, 2017, following the underground test of a 100-kiloton nuclear explosion.
What was not discussed in the press coverage was the fact that seismologists were surprised to register a second event exactly 8 1/2; minutes later.
Longtime DTA subscribers will recall our description of this collapse in the weeks following the September test and our speculation of U.S. involvement following Secretary of Defense Mattis’ comments on possible “kinetic” options for North Korea. Whether an accident or kinetic attack, the Chinese confirmation of this collapse has revealed the weakness of the North Korean negotiating position going into the summit with the United States.
However, the U.S. media and the political leadership in South Korea are acting as though North Korea is making major concessions by announcing “the closure” of their nuclear facilities.
Click here for an analysis of the complex pressures facing President Trump from both the North and South Korean leadership.
For access to some of the most profitable opportunities in the defense technology sector, check out Massengill’s Defense Technology Alert. Click here to learn more.
What was not discussed in the press coverage was the fact that seismologists were surprised to register a second event exactly 8 1/2; minutes later.
Longtime DTA subscribers will recall our description of this collapse in the weeks following the September test and our speculation of U.S. involvement following Secretary of Defense Mattis’ comments on possible “kinetic” options for North Korea. Whether an accident or kinetic attack, the Chinese confirmation of this collapse has revealed the weakness of the North Korean negotiating position going into the summit with the United States.
However, the U.S. media and the political leadership in South Korea are acting as though North Korea is making major concessions by announcing “the closure” of their nuclear facilities.
Click here for an analysis of the complex pressures facing President Trump from both the North and South Korean leadership.
For access to some of the most profitable opportunities in the defense technology sector, check out Massengill’s Defense Technology Alert. Click here to learn more.
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