Foreword
On October 9, 2006, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea— as North Koreais officially known — announced that it had successfully conducted anunderground test of a nuclear device. Ina short public statement, the North Korean Government said the test “willcontribute to defending the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsulaand in the area around it. Althoughestimates of the test’s explosive yield vary, scientific consensus based onseismographic evidence placed it at roughly 0.5 kilotons (the bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima, by contrast, was 15 kilotons).Atmospheric samples have confirmed that the detonation was caused by a nuclearreaction. Thedecision…
