200 dead in North Korea at nuclear site

As many as 200 North Korean laborer/slaves have been killed from a mineshaft collapse at the hermit nation's nuclear test site, according to Japan's Asahi TV.

North Korean sources told the news channel that a tunnel being excavated by around 100 workers at the Punggye-ri test site collapsed several weeks ago.

In a rescue attempt of the laborers, an additional 100 rescuers were sent into the tunnel when it collapsed a second time.

While a precise date for the disaster wasn't provided, the tragedy comes soon after North Korea conducted its sixth underground nuclear test at the site. That was the most powerful test to date.

Pyongyang claims the September 3rd test under Mount Mantap was a hydrogen bomb. Monitors suggest the explosion was equivalent to an earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale. 

Some experts put the yield of the bomb at 280 kilotons and seismologists recorded signs of underground collapses in the hours and days after the blast.

Satellite images of the area taken immediately after the test revealed extreme damage to surface features, including landslips. 

A study published Oct. 17 by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University and published on the 38 North web site suggest this last test caused "substantial damage to the existing tunnel network under Mount Mantap." 

For more on this go here.   

And while there are clear signs of "tired mountain syndrome," there are no indications that the site was being abandoned for future nuclear tests.

Nam Jae-chol, head of South Korea's Meteorological Administration, warned before parliament on Monday that further tests at Punggye-ri could cause the mountain to collapse and release radioactivity into the environment.

Chinese scientists have issued similar warnings.

It will be interesting to see what Kim Jong Un is going to do.

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SoKo holds missile drill--just in case

South Korea's military held a drill in response to the North's latest nuclear test in which Pyongyang claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb--experts are not denying that claim.

The South Korean military held a live-fire training exercise aimed at North Korea's nuclear testing site. Long-range air-to-ground and surface-to-surface missiles reportedly hit their targets in the Sea of Japan.

On Sunday, North Korea said they successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb which may have triggered an earthquake.

Defense Secretary James Mattis made it clear that any threats by North Korea to the U.S., our allies or our territories would be met with an "effective and overwhelming" military response, and he alluded to the possibility of North Korea's total annihilation if necessary. His words in were " . . . we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country . . . but . . . we have many options to do so."

If Saturday's test is confirmed, it would be the sixth test since President Trump was inaugurated, and seven is a charm.


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Sticks and stones and bombs can hurt you

North Korea announced it had conducted an underground "miniaturized" hydrogen bomb test which, we have learned, put a bee in Obama's bonnet. 

You better watch out, Kim Jong Un and the rest of you nuclear-minded North Koreans, because Barack Obama is angry, and when he's angry, he says angry words, and he says them in all seriousness. 

He can even shed a tear if it's about gun control. (Note cringe-worthy tears on left.)

After learning about the test, the Obama administration reiterated its position saying that North Korea cannot be permitted to become a nuclear state. In other words, going nuclear is not allowed according to Mr. Obama.

The news of the test was so important that pretty little Miss Ri Chun-hee (her friends call her "Hee Haw") came out of retirement to make the announcement on government-controlled television. Hee Haw is known for her drama queen delivery of the news, much like Obama is known for his drama queen delivery of his verbal attacks following such news.

A U.S. State Department spokeszombie said that "We have consistently made clear that we will not accept it [North Korea] as a nuclear state."

We will not accept it as a nuclear state? What does "accept it" mean? What will Obama say? We know that he thinks when he says something it's the same as actually doing something, but other nations, especially all other nations in the world, know that Obama's words are useless as a set of binoculars to a pail of sand.

The only good thing that may come out of this debacle is the fact that it has made both sides of the aisle equally as uncomfortable with our say a lot, do nothing president.

Yes folks, even the Democrats can smell trouble coming from an empty suit who is so narcissistic that he thinks his words are magic.


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