North Korea has conducted 5 nuclear tests the last decade, and all signs point to a sixth test this weekend. (This April 15 marks the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founder). The New York Times points out in an article with a lot of technical detail, that the North’s detonations generate shock waves that register around the globe. Mount Mantap is the only active nuclear testing site in the world. China is reportedly exerting a lot of pressure on North Korea (Kim Jong-un), trying to dissuade him from going ahead and escalating the tensions further. ‘If China does not take care of it, the USA will’ declared President Trump. But surely, analysts say, that cannot mean a pre-emptive attack on the nuclear facilities in North Korea. And South Korea would have to sign off on any military action, given that Seoul is just across the border.
