NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA: “North Korea’s latest threat—to detonate a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean—if carried through would mark a new level of defiance in the face of warnings from the U.S. and the international community.
Pyongyang has notched milestone after milestone this year in its quest to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the continental U.S., each time causing a furor and inviting toughly worded responses from President Donald Trump.
In the past month, Pyongyang has launched two missiles over Japan and tested its sixth and most powerful nuclear device, which it described as a hydrogen bomb. That follows the first two successful test-launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles in July…
The latest threat marks an unprecedented escalation by North Korea in the standoff over its weapons program, according to security scholars and regime watchers, who warned of potentially dire consequences.
‘If such a test occurred without warning, planes could fall from the sky as their electronics fail. Even satellites in low-Earth orbit could be affected. The environmental effects on the ocean and its fishing resources would also be serious,’ said Morris Jones, a space analyst, writing for Australia’s Lowy Institute for International Policy.
Russia and Germany expressed deep concern Friday over the escalation of tensions around the Korean Peninsula and called for a diplomatic solution.”
-Jonathan Cheng, “North Korea Ramps Up International Rancor With H-Bomb Threat,” The Wall Street Journal online, Sept. 22, 2017 11:15am