North Korea Today

North Korea Today — page 5 — malnutrition poor living conditions and even forced labor Travel is restricted and communications are censored and monitored Corruption permeates the North Korean government In 2016 Transparency International a group that scores countries on corruption ranked North Korea the third most corrupt country in the world Kim Jong un is the latest member of the Kim family to hold power and his reach is extreme His regime controls all media and communications restricts the population's travel and maintains a strong military despite the fact that many people living in North Korea don't have access to basic necessities The Kim dynasty fears that the rest of the world is out to destroy the regime This paranoia has North Korean dictator Kim Jong un took power in 2011 following the death of his father Kim Jong il

North Korea Today — page 6 — prompted the country to pour its resources into military development and continually flaunt its military might In 2005 the Korean Central News Agency released a statement saying that the country had manufactured nukes for self defense The statement claimed that US president George W Bush was attempting to isolate and stifle North Korea and that the country needed nuclear weapons to ensure its survival A year later an underground explosion rattled the earth in northeastern North Korea That first explosion wasn't huge by nuclear weapons standards But it proved that the country had become a nuclear power Nuclear weapons exploit the energy contained within the nucleus of an atom Splitting apart particles in the nucleus a process called fission or joining them together a process called fusion releases a burst of energy When many atoms split or fuse in quick succession the result can be a devastating blast with enough power to destroy a large portion of a city A typical nuclear weapon in the US arsenal delivers hundreds of kilotons of explosive power One kiloton is equal to 1 000 short tons 907 metric tons of the explosive material TNT North Korea's first test blast

North Korea Today — page 7 — exploded with less than 1 kiloton of power Some believe the weapon may not have functioned properly despite North Korea's claims that the test was a complete success The testing didn't stop there North Korea detonated nuclear bombs in 2009 in 2013 and twice in 2016 By 2016 the power of the blast had increased to 9 kilotons A powerful nuclear weapon isn't much use unless North Korea can deliver it to a desired target Alongside its nuclear tests the country has been testing rocket and missile THE ULTIMATE WEAPON In January 2016 North Korea set off an explosion of approximately 9 kilotons The country claimed it had detonated a hydrogen bomb but scientists were skeptical A hydrogen bomb also called a thermonuclear weapon is the most destructive nuclear device in existence It combines the power of both fission and fusion A regular atomic bomb explodes due to a runaway chain of fission reactions In a hydrogen bomb this fission explosion forces a second stage of the bomb which contains hydrogen fuel to implode and undergo fusion releasing even more destructive power When the United States tested a hydrogen bomb in 1954 the blast yielded 14 8 megatons of energy North Korea's test explosion wasn't big enough to be a two stage thermonuclear weapon Either the claim was a bluff or the country tested a less powerful version of the weapon technology A small nuclear bomb could be fitted onto the tip of a missile with the ability to fly thousands of miles and hit a specified target Such a missile may be launched from the ground or from a submarine North Korea has proved through numerous tests that it

North Korea Today — page 8 — has short range missiles which could reach most of South Korea and Japan It is also developing intercontinental ballistic missiles which could reach targets in the continental United States RULE BREAKER Every one of North Korea's nuclear and missile tests has violated international laws and treaties that govern the use of military force The United Nations UN Security Council an international organization tasked with maintaining peace and security throughout the world has unanimously passed numerous resolutions in response to North Korea's nuclear tests Each resolution condemns the test and imposes sanctions on the country These sanctions are punishments intended to make it difficult for North Korea to continue to develop weapons Some sanctions limit or prevent trade in certain materials and technology allowing cargo heading for the country to be searched Others put limits on travel and spending for people suspected of being involved in the nuclear program The United States has also imposed its own sanctions on North Korea directly

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