Korea launched a hydrogen bomb. North Korea successfully tested a hydrogen bomb. We understand, but we don’t accept
home On September 3, North Korea conducted its sixth full-fledged nuclear test. About the fact that it could be blown up, however, the North Koreans would not be themselves if they had not prepared a lot of surprises this time. An expert on the website of the Zvezda TV channel, Vladimir Khrustalev, examines in detail the nuclear test of North Korea. Sunday morning shock On Sunday morning, even before the test took place, the North Korean media stunned the world with a sensation. The main news agency of the DPRK published photographs showing a thermonuclear charge. And not just a thermonuclear charge, but one suitable for installation on a ballistic missile. Primarily named as a launch vehicle intercontinental missile "Hwaseong-14". This was indicated by photographs where a diagram for installing a charge in the head of a ballistic missile was visible, and the caption above the diagram also indicated the type of carrier. Most likely, the photo showed a mock-up of the device, and not the device itself, since some of the details in the photographs High Quality looked strange for a real charge. And, on the other hand, a loaded thermonuclear charge as part of the structure has a number of elements that require, due to safety precautions, caution and access to the charge only by specialists. We are talking about the possible presence of a plutonium part in the assembled structure (plutonium creates a noticeable level ionizing radiation ), a deuterium-tritium gas mixture (tritium is also not particularly good for health), as well as the mandatory presence there of a system for detonating the nuclear unit of the structure. The composition of the nuclear unit also necessarily includes a layer of conventional and a system for its detonation. In other words, this part requires careful handling, even if radioactive materials are not placed in the structure. The device itself, which received the name “peanut” among Western experts because of its shape, and “dumbbell” among Russians, really looks like a thermonuclear charge. It clearly shows the external automation unit, connected by cables to the main part, which includes the nuclear (the one that makes up the larger half of the “dumbbell”) and thermonuclear nodes (the “smaller” half). The activation of the first creates conditions for the operation of the second with a large release of energy. No one except the developers knows what is inside the device itself. And the point here is not that the design is strange or that the experts remain silent. Everything is simpler: there are several workable versions of the device shown. What is even more interesting: official materials reported that the device has more than one operation mode. That is, at reduced and at rated power. Exist different variants solution to this problem, but the main thing is that, in general, there is nothing supernatural in creating a device with two operation modes. 
Of course, like any announcement from the DPRK, this “information leak” gave rise to fierce debate on the topic of how realistic this demonstration is and when to expect tests. Among smart experts (those whose predictions regarding military programs usually came true), a consensus emerged in the very first hours: “If the North Koreans have succeeded in working on thermonuclear charges, there must be a successful test.” Moreover, the key feature should be an abnormal power compared to past tests. Since the end of 2016, attempts have been made to guess what a thermonuclear breakthrough by the DPRK would look like for external observers. The answer was simple. The observed magnitude of the test will be 5.7 conventional units or greater. And if it’s 6 or more, then it’s definitely something thermonuclear. In general, everyone began to wait for the test, but no one expected that it would happen a few hours after the announcement of photographs of the thermonuclear charge. Nuclear "seismic event" Sunday's test was an immediate shock. From the USA and China, reports began to come in about the maximum measured power of the tremors at 6.3 conventional unit. Other countries have measured tremors ranging from 5.7 to 6.3. According to reports from some seismic stations, they observed a seismic event in the DPRK with a parameter of 6.4 conventional units. Such a strong difference is normal. The fact is that the lithosphere is a less homogeneous medium than the hydrosphere, so vibrations propagate differently, and therefore in different directions and to different distances there will be certain differences in the received signals. 
The second problem is that, depending on the depth, even at the same test site, an explosion of the same power (in TNT equivalent) will also produce “seismic events” of different recorded power. The third problem is that only the North Koreans know the power of the explosion quite accurately specialists. Since the conversion of measured seismic parameters into kilotons of TNT largely depends on what correction factors are used for calculations. But this does not mean that nothing can be said about this. First, a significant fact should be noted: the lowest theoretical limit on the explosion power is not below 50 kt. Moreover, this is clearly with all permissible theoretical underestimations. They insist on a figure of 50 kt in South Korea. But Seoul's estimates always show signs of deliberate severe underestimation. Yes, and they are made on the basis of signals less powerful than those recorded in other directions from the DPRK nuclear test site (geological features). Secondly, most open estimates by independent experts give the most probable figure of 100 kt and higher. So the Norwegian NORSAR gave an estimate of 120 kt, Chinese geologists - 108 kt. Among American experts, the interval of 100-150 kt is considered the most reliable. 
Thirdly, there is an indirect sign. Seismic echoes were noticeably felt not only in China. In other countries closest to North Korea, at a time roughly coinciding with the explosion in the DPRK, users began writing on social networks that they felt a slight vibration in the house. Of course, many did not feel or notice anything, because the strength of the vibrations was not so great (the type of soil on which the building or the observer was located directly plays a serious role here), but still there are witnesses to this phenomenon. The distance at which the echoes were observed from an explosion, indicates the approximate level of energy release during an explosion. This is definitely a different order of power than in all previous tests. What does a nuclear test mean for North Korea? First of all, we can confidently talk about the enormous success of the DPRK military-industrial complex. North Korean nuclear scientists have managed to radically improve the quality parameters of their charges, both in terms of increasing the achieved power by an order of magnitude and in terms of the power per unit weight of the charge. Secondly, this means radically different possibilities for causing damage to the aggressor during retaliatory nuclear missile strikes. Bombs of “Hiroshima power” do not look as menacing to modern cities as they did decades ago. But thermonuclear charges, with their power, are capable of quite confidently causing enormous destruction over long distances in modern large cities, built mainly from reinforced concrete. This means that in order to cause obviously unacceptable damage, it is necessary that fewer charges break through the missile defense system than with an order of magnitude lower power of warheads. And the presence of such an enemy’s ability to cause damage usually greatly reduces the desire to attack him. 
Thirdly, thermonuclear charges are the best (possible) generators of electromagnetic pulse. Detonation of a thermonuclear charge at a suitable height can cause damage to electrical and electronic equipment over an area of a million square kilometers or more. In this case, there is no direct damage to people by the shock wave and light radiation. Sort of the opposite of the neutron bomb from urban legends, which supposedly kills people by preserving material values. Only here the infrastructure, communications, machines and equipment are turned off. But people are not amazed. And this does not count the damage to the orbital group. The perfect weapon against developed opponents, especially the most technologically advanced, completely immersed in the “digital era.” Moreover, to detonate a charge at altitudes of 100 km and above, it is not necessary to have even proven warheads capable of surviving all overloads when descending in the atmosphere. The corresponding explosion is carried out outside the atmosphere. This possibility was mentioned in materials released shortly before the test. “Our thermonuclear charge, the power of which can be adjusted from tens of kilotons to hundreds of kilotons, not only has enormous destructive power, but is also a multifunctional thermonuclear warhead, which can also deliver a super-powerful electromagnetic strike over vast distances by detonating a charge on high altitude"- wrote the North Korean media. 
Fourthly, the presence of such an option as choosing the power of the explosion creates high possibilities for choosing different targets for the optimal format of destruction with the same warhead “for the task.” This means that in the future it will greatly increase the flexibility of the nuclear arsenal. This was directly stated in the corresponding statement following the test results. “Success in testing a thermonuclear charge for equipping ICBMs is a demonstration of the qualitative development of nuclear forces, when it is possible to freely control the power of a thermonuclear charge depending on the object and target of the strike. This is a very significant milestone in the improvement of nuclear armed forces,” wrote the North Korean press. Fifthly, to create an effective intercontinental missile nuclear weapons a compact and powerful fusion unit is a critical step. North Korea has already successfully tested the Hwasong-14 missile twice in July. And now the fusion unit has also been tested. This test was carried out to confirm the operation and reliability of new technologies used in the power control system and design new design for installation in combat unit intercontinental ballistic missile. So the United States and its allies can now be sincerely congratulated. Their policy towards the DPRK was crowned with another resounding “success”.
North Korea conducted another nuclear weapons test on September 3. Now, they claim, a hydrogen bomb has been detonated. On Far East Seismic tremors were recorded. Based on them, experts estimated the charge power to be from 50 to 100 kilotons. The power of the bombs detonated by the Americans in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 was about 20 kilotons. Then two explosions killed more than 200 thousand people. The Korean bomb is many times more powerful. A few days earlier, North Korea tested its ballistic missile. This rocket flew 2,700 kilometers and fell in the Pacific Ocean. Flew over Japanese island Hokkaido.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that they will now fire missiles towards the American military base on the island of Guam. And this island is a little further from Korea - 3,300 kilometers. Moreover, some experts claim that this rocket can fly twice the distance. According to the map, such a missile could reach the United States. By at least Alaska is already in the affected area.
So, there is a rocket and there is a bomb. This does not mean that the Koreans are ready to launch a nuclear missile strike right now. Nuclear explosive device- this is not a warhead yet. Experts say that pairing a bomb and a missile requires several years of work. However, it is absolutely clear that for Korean engineers this is a solvable task. The Americans are threatening North Korea with a military strike. Indeed, it seems like a simple solution - destroy by air launchers, factories for the production of missiles and nuclear weapons. And the habits of Americans in this regard are simple. Anything - immediately bomb. Why aren't they bombing now? And they threaten somehow hesitantly. Because from the border separating North and South Korea to the center of Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a little over 30 kilometers.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles will not be needed here. Here you can shoot howitzers. And Seoul is a city of ten million. By the way, many Americans live there. The USA and South Korea have extensive business relationship. So in response to an American attack, the North Koreans may attack South Korea, Seoul first. North Korea's army is one million strong. There are another four million in reserve.
Some hotheads say: this is a poor country with a very weak economy. Well, firstly, the economy there is no longer as weak as it was 20 years ago. According to indirect signs, there is economic growth. Well, secondly, they were able to make a rocket. They made an atomic bomb and even a hydrogen one. They should not be underestimated. Therefore there are risks great war on the Korean Peninsula. This topic was discussed on September 3 by the leaders of Russia and China. They met in Chinese city Xiamen on the eve of the BRICS summit.
“There was a discussion of the situation on the Korean Peninsula in light of the DPRK’s hydrogen bomb test. Both Putin and Xi Jinping expressed deep concern about this situation, they noted the importance of preventing chaos on the Korean Peninsula, the importance of all parties showing restraint and focusing on finding a solution only through political and diplomatic means,” said Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov .
No matter what Kim Jong-un is, no matter how he behaves, no matter what we think about him, there are still negotiations, a search for a compromise better than war, especially since interested parties have enough tools to put pressure on North Korea.
“Today, September 3, at 12 o’clock, North Korean scientists successfully tested a hydrogen warhead at the northern test site, designed to equip intercontinental ballistic missiles", said a North Korean television announcer.
According to South Korean experts, the power of the bomb exploded in North Korea could reach 100 kilotons, which is about six Hiroshimas. The explosion was accompanied by an earthquake 10 times stronger than what happened last year when Pyongyang conducted its previous nuclear test. The echoes of this earthquake, which is now clearly man-made, were felt far beyond the borders of the DPRK. Even before Pyongyang’s official statement, seismologists in Vladivostok already guessed what had happened. “The coordinates coincide with the nuclear test site,” notes the seismologist.
“In terms of distance, it is approximately 250-300 kilometers from Vladivostok. At the epicenter of the earthquake itself, in all likelihood, the magnitude was about seven. On the border of Primorye it is somewhere around five points. In Vladivostok, no more than two or three points,” said seismologist on duty Amed Saiduloev.
Pyongyang confirmed the test report with a photo report on the development of a compact hydrogen warhead. It is alleged that the DPRK has enough of its own resources produced in the country to create such warheads. Kim Jong-un was personally present during the installation of the warhead on the missile. Pyongyang sees nuclear weapons as the only guarantee of the country's existence. For more than half a century, North Korea has legally remained in a state of temporarily suspended war, without any guarantee of its non-resumption. That is why any attempts to force the DPRK to abandon nuclear program so far they have only accelerated it.
“The fragile armistice agreement of 1953, which still governs relations between the United States and the DPRK, is an anachronism, it does not fulfill its functions, it does not contribute and cannot somehow ensure security and stability on the Korean Peninsula; it needs to be replaced a long time ago,” emphasizes the head of the department of Korea and Mongolia at the Institute of Oriental Studies Russian Academy Sciences Alexander Vorontsov.
China and Russia have been insisting for years that there is no prospect of continuing pressure on Pyongyang and the need to begin direct negotiations. Moreover, Washington is also offered real opportunity solution to the problem: not even a suspension, but only a reduction in the scale of joint military exercises between the United States and South Korea in exchange for Pyongyang freezing its nuclear missile tests.
“We also spoke with John Kerry. They told us the same thing that the Trump administration is now repeating: this is an unequal proposal, because launches and nuclear tests in North Korea are prohibited by the Security Council, and military exercises are an absolutely legitimate thing. But to this we answer: yes, if we rely on such legalistic logic, of course, no one accuses you of violating international law. But if it comes to war, then the first step must be taken by the one who is smarter and stronger. And there can be no doubt who in this pair has such qualities. Although, who knows...,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
So, the Americans are pressing harshly and senselessly, the Koreans are responding with their teeth between their teeth, and it is proposed to us and China to cut this vicious circle. Otherwise - war!
“North Korea's provocative behavior could lead to the US intercepting their missiles - shooting them down both in the air and on the ground before launch, what we call a hot launch. There are both military methods of solution and diplomatic methods - economic pressure, tightening sanctions. There is, after all, the decisive role of China and the influence of Russia in the region, they can put pressure on North Korea,” says retired US Army General Paul Valley.
At the same time, today it is absolutely clear that neither Beijing, nor even more so Moscow, will be able to bring Pyongyang to reason without removing the main threat, and it comes from the United States, which is refusing our proposals to sit down with the Koreans at the negotiating table. At the same time, Trump deliberately continues to escalate the situation. In the context of the beginning economic war with China, it is beneficial for Americans to keep Beijing in constant tension in the position of the culprit, knowing that the key to solving the problem lies with them - in Washington. However, this cannot continue indefinitely. After all, Korean missiles fly further and further each time. Thus, on the one hand, increasing the risk of a fatal accident, on the other, pushing Trump to carry out his threats, which is completely impossible.
“China has a mutual defense treaty with North Korea. Thus, Trump does not have any way of influencing North Korea militarily; he can neither attack nor use military force, so all this is like an empty shock of air,” says Pyotr Akopov, deputy editor-in-chief of the Vzglyad.ru portal.
Today's explosion is evidence that for the first time in the last quarter century the United States is faced with a situation where there is no alternative to negotiations. Sooner or later, they will have to agree to the scheme proposed by Moscow and Beijing - the cessation of military exercises and guarantees of non-aggression in exchange for freezing Pyongyang's nuclear missile program. The Americans, of course, will not remove their troops from South Korea, and North Korea will remain with its several nuclear warheads, just in case.
We will see how this will be arranged in the near future. However, the latest unexpected statement by the President of Kazakhstan about the need to legalize the nuclear status of states that actually possess nuclear weapons, and the subsequent invitation to Nazarbayev to Washington, may not be accidental.
The world is one step closer to a local nuclear conflict that could break out between the United States and North Korea. Despite sanctions and open threats from Washington, Pyongyang conducted another test, and not a nuclear weapons launch vehicle, but a test of a full-fledged hydrogen bomb.
Korean hydrogen bomb is 5 times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
And this is no longer the empty boast of Pyongyang, which previously unreasonably scared the world with its nuclear weapons. But this time the experts are unanimous - the DPRK really has a thermonuclear bomb.
First, the North Korean news agency KCNA reported that DPRK scientists allegedly managed to create hydrogen bomb, and posted a photo in which the device is shown to the country's leader Kim Jong-un. The agency's report said that the warhead's yield could reach hundreds of kilotons of TNT, and that all components for its production were made in the DPRK, which would allow the country to create as many nuclear weapons as it wanted.
And immediately after the test itself, seismologists recorded an earthquake on the territory of the DPRK, the source of which was on the surface of the earth. According to various sources, the magnitude ranged from 5.6 to 6.3, but all seismological services agree that the earthquake could have been artificial.
According to the BBC, seismic services from the United States, China and South Korea note that the source of the earthquake was at a depth of “zero kilometers,” that is, on the surface, which does not happen during natural earthquakes. And the earthquake itself occurred in Kilju County, which is home to the North Korean Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where the DPRK conducted all its previous tests.
According to the South Korean agency Yonhap, power nuclear explosion in North Korea was 100 kilotons, which is five times more powerful than bombs, dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
For the first time, North Korea announced it was holding nuclear test in 2006 year. At that time, many experts doubted that the explosion was truly nuclear, since its power was relatively low. Since then, North Korea has conducted four more nuclear tests, all of which have come under criticism from the international community. A number of sanctions were also imposed on Pyongyang. If the cause of the current earthquake really turns out to be nuclear tests, they will officially become the sixth for the DPRK.
Trump threatens Pyongyang with nuclear weapons
This direct threat from Korean nuclear weapons has led to the fact that the conflict itself has already gone beyond the confrontation between only the United States and North Korea and threatens very real local nuclear conflict. Donald Trump has already stated that the United States intends to defend itself and its allies, using the full range of capabilities, both diplomatic and nuclear.
"South Korea convinced, as I already told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they understand only one thing! "Trump wrote, apparently implying military force.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the international community to respond with "maximum firmness" to North Korea's latest nuclear test. As Le Figaro reports from the press service of the Elysee Palace, the French President called on members of the UN Security Council to quickly and decisively respond to “a new violation by North Korea international law, the nuclear non-proliferation regime and Security Council resolutions." And the UN Security Council met on this issue for another emergency meeting and is deciding what to do to force Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program.
What the Western press writes
La Repubblica
So, North Korea supposedly became a member of the “nuclear club”. That is, that narrow circle of countries that can boast of having in their arsenals one or more hydrogen bombs, thousands of times more powerful than the shells that leveled Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A hydrogen bomb is more difficult to make than an atomic bomb. However, it is within reach of a country that invests most its resources in weapons. And the physics you need to master is very old: it is taught as part of regular university courses
Experts from the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) experts confirm that an “unusual seismic event” measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale occurred in North Korea.” A comparison of data regarding seismic waves not only ruled out the possibility of a natural earthquake, but also made it possible to establish the location of the explosion: it occurred many kilometers to the northwest relative to the sites chosen by Pyongyang for tests, which followed each other from 2006 to last year.
KP Help
Hydrogen, or thermonuclear bomb- a type of nuclear weapon, the destructive power of which is based on the use of the energy of the nuclear fusion reaction of light elements into heavier ones. The creator of the Soviet hydrogen bomb is academician Dmitry Sakharov. In the Soviet Union at the training ground New land In 1961, the hydrogen Tsar Bomb was tested. The blast wave circled the earth 3 times, and animals died within a radius of 700 kilometers due to exposure to radiation.
A hydrogen bomb is different from atomic bomb greater power and area of destruction. The atomic bomb, so to speak, is more “primitive”.
When a 50 megaton hydrogen bomb explodes:
Fireball: 4.5 -5 kilometers in diameter.
Sound wave: the explosion can be heard from a distance of 800 kilometers.
Energy: from the released energy, a person can get burns skin, being up to 100 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion.
Nuclear mushroom: height is more than 70 km in height, the radius of the cap is about 50 km.
Atomic bombs of such power have never been detonated before. There are indicators of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, but its size was significantly inferior to the hydrogen discharge described above. When an atomic bomb explodes:
Fireball: diameter about 300 meters.
Nuclear mushroom: height 12 km, radius of the cap - about 5 km.
Energy: the temperature at the center of the explosion reached 3000C°.
Now in service nuclear powers It's the hydrogen bombs that are worth it. In addition to the fact that they are superior in their characteristics to their “small brothers”, they are much cheaper to produce.
Pyongyang, through its actions aimed at undermining the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, poses a serious threat to peace and security. This is how our Foreign Ministry commented on the hydrogen bomb test that North Korea announced on September 3.
Diplomats emphasized that continued testing is fraught with serious consequences for the DPRK itself. At the same time, on Smolensk Square they once again noted that the only possible way to resolve the problems of the Korean Peninsula is through peaceful negotiations.
“It cannot but be regrettable that the leadership of the DPRK, through its actions aimed at undermining the global non-proliferation regime, poses a serious threat to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region as a whole. Continuing such a line is fraught with serious consequences for the DPRK itself. We call on all interested parties to immediately return to dialogue and negotiations as the only possible way comprehensive settlement of the problems of the Korean Peninsula, including the nuclear one,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Alarming messages from the DPRK began to arrive in the morning. Before Pyongyang announced that it had tested a hydrogen bomb in the area of a test site where nuclear weapons had already been tested, a powerful earthquake was recorded. Echoes reached Vladivostok.
Seoul has already stated: the defense departments of South Korea and the United States have agreed to consider all options for a military response to the DPRK’s actions in as soon as possible. And in Tokyo they called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
“Today, September 3, at 12 o’clock, North Korean scientists successfully tested a hydrogen warhead at the northern test site, designed to equip intercontinental ballistic missiles,” says a North Korean television announcer.
Now also hydrogen. Pyongyang is rapidly moving towards the status of a nuclear superpower. Sanctions, persuasion, threats, indignation of the world community - nothing helps. According to South Korean experts, the power of the bomb detonated on September 3 could reach 100 kilotons. For comparison, this is about six Hiroshimas. The explosion caused an earthquake about 10 times stronger than the one that struck last year when Pyongyang conducted its last nuclear test.
Seismologists sensed something was wrong even before the official announcement by the Koreans. The echoes of the earthquake, which is now clearly man-made, were felt far beyond the borders of the DPRK, including in Vladivostok.
“I felt dizzy, at first I didn’t understand, I thought I felt bad. Then I look - the ground is disappearing from under my feet, things are shaking, there were flowers on the window - the flowers were shaking. I run out into the corrido and see a mannequin there shaking,” said a resident of Vladivostok.
“In terms of distance, it is approximately 250-300 kilometers from Vladivostok. At the epicenter of the earthquake itself, in all likelihood, the magnitude was about seven. On the border of Primorye it is somewhere around five points. In Vladivostok, no more than two or three points,” said seismologist on duty Amed Saiduloev.
Pyongyang confirmed the test report with a photo report on the development of a compact hydrogen warhead. It is alleged that the DPRK has enough of its own resources produced in the country to create such a bomb. Kim Jong-un was personally present during the installation of the warhead on the missile.
“The Great Leader looked at the hydrogen bomb that will be installed on the new intercontinental ballistic missile. "Kim Jong Un said we can build as many nuclear weapons as we want."
The neighbors were alarmed as usual. South Korea has stated that it will seek complete international isolation of the DPRK. And perhaps he will host the most powerful tactical weapon. In Japan, a crisis headquarters has been created under the Prime Minister's Office.
“We are analyzing all our intelligence data in order to properly inform our citizens about what happened, as well as discuss it with representatives of interested countries - the United States, South Korea, China and Russia. Conducting another nuclear test is absolutely unacceptable, and we must respond firmly,” said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Behind Last year North Korea has repeatedly tested ballistic missiles. The last launch is this week, Tuesday, August 29th. Rocket medium range entered air space Japan and fell into Pacific Ocean. Flew a little more than 2.5 thousand kilometers.
Tests in the midst of US-South Korean exercises. Russia and China have proposed a double freeze plan, with the US and South Korea stopping their exercises and North Korea stopping their tests. After all, saber rattling only leads to escalation.
But Seoul hastened to report that they had tested the latest super-heavy bombs. And in response to the DPRK missile launch, the United States and South Korea held joint air force exercises. The same ones are indicative. The world is being tested on both sides.