Technical Perspective on North Korea’s Nuclear Test

The news that North Korea had successfully tested a nuclear weapon on Monday morning shocked the world. Estimates about the size of the explosion ranged wildly, with some reporting a half-kiloton blast to others guessing that it was much larger. The key questions are: did the test go as planned, and is there likely to be another soon? Dr. Gi-Wook Hin of Stanford sat down with Dr. Siegfried Hecker, a nuclear expert who has visited North Korean facilities, and discussed possible answers to these questions. While it is too early to determine the scientific and strategic implications of the test, Hecker offers some preliminary observations which are helpful in understanding the literal and figurative fallout of the test. The relative smallness of the explosion may indicate that something went wrong and that North Korea will have to revise their designs before attempting another test. On the other hand, the smallness of the explosion may have been intentional, as North Korea may be aiming for miniaturized, sophisticated weaponry. In either case, it is imperative, argues Hecker, that North Korea’s nuclear techniques and materials do not fall into the hands of a non-state third party, who would be much harder to deter and much less vulnerable to international opprobrium than the regime in Pyongyang. – YaleGlobal