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Fri, March 24, 2023 | 03:13
US may have known about nuclear test beforehand
軍, 미국의 '北핵실험 사전인지설' 반박…"사실과 다르다"
Posted : 2016-01-08 16:32
Updated : 2016-01-08 20:50
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A U.S. U-2 reconnaissance aircraft flies over the western border city of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. / Yonhap
A U.S. U-2 reconnaissance aircraft flies over the western border city of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. / Yonhap

By Kim Hyo-jin

The United States and Japan appear to have known in advance about North Korea's nuclear test conducted on Wednesday, according to a U.S. media report.

The report, published by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), came amid criticism of South Korean intelligence authorities for failing to obtain the information beforehand.

If the report turns out to be true, the South Korean government is expected to come under fire for failing to coordinate with its allies regarding the North's nuclear development.

NBC News on Thursday summarized comments given by an unidentified senior U.S. military official as, "that the U.S. was aware of the North's test preparations two weeks ago and launched drones to take a baseline air sample near the test site."

The report continued, "The air was sampled again on Wednesday to test for traces of tritium that could indicate whether North Korea has detonated something more than a standard-sized nuclear weapon."

Washington expressed skepticism about the North's claim that the tested device was in fact an H-bomb.


Loudspeaker propaganda ratchets up tension
Loudspeaker propaganda ratchets up tension
2016-01-08 17:20  |  National

"The initial analysis…is not consistent with the claim that the regime has made a successful hydrogen bomb test," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest at a press briefing on Thursday.

In the face of mounting criticism, Seoul's Ministry of National Defense dismissed the report as "speculation."

"A drone can't possibly enter the air over North Korea," a defense ministry official said. "Even if it went over through the East Sea, it must have been a drone for reconnaissance, not one for collecting air samples."

Meanwhile, questions are being raised whether Tokyo had also noticed the North's move prior to the test.

When asked if the Japanese government had noticed signs of the test beforehand, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga answered, "I'd like to say we are always in close coordination with the U.S."

Suga underlined "Japan-U.S. coordination" again, in response to the question whether Japan shared information with the U.S. prior to the test.

Earlier, Tokyo-based Kyodo News Agency reported that a U.S. spy plane flew out of Japan's Okinawa Island just before the seismic activity caused by the test detonation was detected in North Korea.

It said the RC-135V reconnaissance plane took off from the Kadena Air Base at 10:20 a.m on Wednesday, 10 minutes before the test, fuelling speculation that the plane was trying to gather information on the test.

In December 2014, South Korea signed a military pact with the U.S. and Japan to share classified military intelligence about North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons programs.





軍, 미국의 '北핵실험 사전인지설' 반박…"사실과 다르다"

군 당국은 '미국이 북한의 핵실험 준비 사실을 미리 알고 풍계리 핵실험장 인근에 무인기를 띄웠다'는 미국 언론 보도를 반박했다.

국방부의 한 관계자는 8일 '미군 무인기가 북한의 핵실험 관련 포집활동을 하려고 북한 상공에 갔다는데, 이는 사실과 다르다'고 밝혔다.

미국 NBC방송은 지난 6일(현지시간) 미군 고위 관계자가 '(북한의) 핵실험 준비 사실을 인지하고 앞선 2주 동안 핵실험장 인근에서 기준치가 될 공기 시료를 채취하기 위해 무인기를 띄웠다고 말했다'고 보도했다. 

이 보도는 북한이 지난 3차 핵실험 때까지와는 달리 4차 핵실험을 앞두고는 미국과 중국 등 주변국에 사전 통보하지 않은 것으로 파악됐다는 우리 정보 당국의 보고 내용과 배치되는 것이어서 논란이 일었다.

특히 보도가 사실이라면 미국이 지난 2014년 체결된 '한미일의 북한 핵·미사일 관련 군사정보를 공유하는 기관간 약정'(정보공유약정)을 위반한 셈이어서 미국 책임론이 불거질 여지도 있다.

그러나 우리 국방부는 '추측성 보도로 보인다'며 미국의 사전 인지설을 일축했다.

국방부 관계자는 '통상적으로 미국 무인기가 북한 상공에 들어갈 수 없다'면서 '동해로는 갈 수 있는데, 정찰 목적으로 가는 무인기이지 포집 활동을 하는 무인기는 아니다'고 설명했다.

하지만, 국방부의 이런 해명에도 미국이 북한의 핵실험에 앞서 관련 동향을 미리 파악하고 있었는지에 대한 논란은 쉽게 수그러들지 않을 수도 있다.

군 당국이 반박한 NBC 보도 말고도 미국의 사전 인지설을 전한 매체가 많기 때문이다.

미국 온라인매체인 데일리비스트도 국방부와 정보 당국 관계자 등을 인용해 북한의 핵실험 준비 사실을 당국이 사전에 알았다고 보도한 바 있다. (연합뉴스)
Emailhyojinkim@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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