North Korea Nuclear Testing Report
North Korea has become a major security concern. The concern has risen about this country due to their infamous nuclear weapons program. This report will discuss how North Korean nuclear testing is a threat.
Nuclear weapons cause destructive blasts, but the biggest killer in nuclear explosions is radiation (Bachelor ¶7-8). There are two types of nuclear weapons, atomic and hydrogen. Atomic weapons are powered by Nuclear fission, the splitting of uranium or plutonium to create an explosion. The other type of nuclear weapon, hydrogen, is powered by nuclear fusion, the fusing of two hydrogen isotopes together to release energy in an explosion (Bachelor ¶4-6). In total at least nine countries have nuclear weapons. It is currently unknown whether North Korea sells Nuclear weapons to other countries (Bachelor ¶9). As for the ninth country to obtain nuclear weapons, North Korea, development began at the beginning of the Twenty-First Century. Tensions have been growing ever since (Bachelor ¶1). Estimates guess that North Korea has approximately thirty nuclear warheads (Minnich ¶9). This estimate will grow with time as North Korea’s ability to generate Uranium 235 increases. North Korea claims its nuclear
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Relations have been worsening as China keeps getting pressured to stop North Korea (Minnich ¶14). Other possible side effects of North Korea testing is conflict escalation, preventative wars, and even a humanitarian crisis (Minnich ¶11). Currently, nuclear tests invoke a response of sanctions to which North Korea responds with more nuclear tests. A preventative strike would likely provoke military retaliation (Minnich ¶13). The UN’s response to nuclear tests is tougher sanctions (Minnich ¶45). In case nuclear exchange occurs most of the United States is in range of the estimated range of North Korea’s missiles (Stewart