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NK Nukes

the light water reactors where not completed. the fuel for them not sent.

the material came from reactors built in the 80s.


# Yongbyon Reactor I - The construction of this natural uranium-graphite power reactor began in 1980 at Yongbyon, 100 km north of Pyongyang. It is based on a 1950 MAGNOX technology (graphite moderator, aluminum-magnesium clad natural uranium fuel , CO2 gas cooling). The reactor was completed in 1984 and it as was activated in February 1987 under Prof. Ha Kyong Won, a Korean physicist educated in US. After many startup problems, it was operating at 20-30 MW by 1990.

N Korea removed about 30 lb. of plutonium from this reactor in 1988 and built two nuclear bombs. From 1989 to 1991, N Korea may have extracted additional 60 lb. of plutonium, enough for five nukes.

# Yongbyon Reactor II - A 50 MW MAGNOX-type reactor was started in 1984. N Korea built a military nuclear complex next to this reactor. This complex was completed in 1989 and the reactor was tentatively activated in 1992. This reactor alone is capable of producing enough plutonium for 10-12 nukes a year.

# Taechon Reactor I - The construction of a 200 MW MAGNOX-type reactor was started at Taechon, 60 miles north of Pyongyang in 1988 and it is expected to be completed in 1996.

# Taechon Reactor II - A 600-800 MW reactor is also underway at Taechon (completion possible by 1997). This reactor could produce 180-230 Kg of plutonium a year, enough for 30-40 nukes.

# Simpo Reactor I - This 635mw reactor is based on a German design. In May 1989, N Korea and Germany signed a comprehensive agreement on the transfer of "substantial" amounts of German nuclear technology and nuclear weapons materials, including enriched uranium, to Pyongyang. The transfer of the German nuclear know-how has continued via Iran, Libya Syria and Yugoslavia.


and the Taechon where not completed - they stopped construction under the 1994 clinton deal.

0.5 kt North Korean Test? Comparison With Other Tests

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB200/index.htm

Thus, on August 16, 1997 a seismic signal from the vicinity of Novaya Zemlya registered at 3.2 on the Richter scale--consistent with a very small blast of between 0.1 and 1.0 kiloton, which might indicate scaled-down tests of a warhead primary.

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/asiapcf/9805/30/pakistan.nuclear/index.html?eref=sitese arch
[Pakistan Test]
U.S. officials say the blast registered about 4.6 on the Richter scale, roughly equivalent to Thursday's blast...Preliminary analysis of the data suggests a yield in Thursday's test of six kilotons...

http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/ctbt/news/980521-ctbt.htm

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA SEISMOLOGIST TERRY WALLACE HAS BEEN TRACKING SUCH EVENTS FOR 25 YEARS. HE SAYS A ONE KILOTON NUCLEAR TEST SHAKES THE EARTH ABOUT THE SAME AS AN EARTHQUAKE MEASURING 4-POINT-ONE ON THE RICHTER SCALE.

Marijuana Legalization Is Near At Hand

Texas gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman has come out in favor of legalization. He doesn't poll very high, only 16 to 19%, but this declaration doesn't seem to have helped or hurt his poll numbers at this point. It could be that most people don't know, but that will change over the next few weeks.

In order for pot to be legalized, politicians have to present bills proposing legalization. To do that, they have to believe that doing so will either be neutral or positive to their polling numbers.

If Kinky Friedman can prove that this is the case, then we'll start to see some action on this. Even if he isn't elected, the effect of his support for legalization will not go unnoticed by the people who plan campaigns and make policy platforms.

Kinky may not be elected, he didn't do well in the debate tonight. On the other hand nobody demonized him for his legalization position. There was one question about it, one of the panelists asked if he would appoint known drug users to his staff in light of his support of legalization.

There will be four more weeks of campaigning, surely the subject will come up, and pollsters will get a real chance to see how the electorate feels about it. After that I think we'll see some positive movement on it in the next few years.