2006 North Korean nuclear test

2006 North Korean nuclear test
Graphic showing seismic activity at the time of the test
Information
CountryNorth Korea
Test sitePunggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, Kilju County
Period10:35:28 KST, October 9, 2006
Number of tests1
Test typeUnknown
Device typeFission
Max. yield
Test chronology
← None
2009 test →
Map
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2km
1.2miles
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South
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West
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East
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Sep 2017
6
Sep 2016
5
Jan 2016
4
Feb 2013
3
May 2009
2
Oct 2006
1
Location of North Korea's nuclear tests[5][6]
1: 2006; 2: 2009; 3: 2013; 4: 2016-01; 5: 2016-09; 6: 2017;
V

The 2006 North Korean nuclear test was the detonation of a nuclear device conducted by North Korea on October 9, 2006.

On October 3, 2006, North Korea announced its intention to conduct a nuclear test.[7] The blast is generally estimated to have had an explosive force of less than one kiloton, and some radioactive output was detected.[8][9] United States officials suggested the device may have been a nuclear explosive that misfired.[8]

An anonymous official at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing told a South Korean newspaper that the explosive output was smaller than expected.[10] Because of the secretive nature of North Korea and small yield of the test, there remains some question as to whether it was a successful test of an unusually small device (which would have required sophisticated technology), or a partially failed "fizzle" or dud. A scientific paper later estimated the yield as 0.48 kilotons.[1]

Reportedly the government of the People's Republic of China was given a 20-minute advance notification that the test was about to occur. China sent an emergency alert to Washington, D.C., through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing at which time President George W. Bush was told by National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley "shortly after" 10 p.m. (UTC-5) that a test was imminent.[11]

  1. ^ a b Lian-Feng Zhao, Xiao-Bi Xie, Wei-Min Wang, and Zhen-Xing Yao, "Regional Seismic Characteristics of the 9 October 2006 North Korean Nuclear Test Archived September 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, December 2008 98:2571–2589; doi:10.1785/0120080128
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference JaneWeekly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Russia was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference BGR2006 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Search Results". USGS.
  6. ^ "North Korea's Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site: Analysis Reveals Its Potential for Additional Testing with Significantly Higher Yields". 38North. March 10, 2017.
  7. ^ Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Background and Current Developments, September 1, 2016, Wikidata Q59596578. See also Medalia, Jonathan. "Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty: Background and Current Developments." Congressional Research Service. November 23, 2009. p. 9. ISBN 978-1-4379-2746-7.
  8. ^ a b "U.S.: Test Points to N. Korea Nuke Blast". The Washington Post. October 13, 2006.
  9. ^ "North Korea Nuclear Test Confirmed by U.S. Intelligence Agency". Bloomberg. October 16, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved October 16, 2006.
  10. ^ "Dud or deception? Experts examine N. Korea claims". CNN. October 10, 2006. Archived from the original on October 28, 2006.
  11. ^ "Test follows warning from U.N." International Herald Tribune. Archived from the original on October 9, 2006. Retrieved October 9, 2006.