Seoul dismisses NK’s nuclear fusion claim

By Kang Hyun-kyung

Staff reporter

North Korea claimed Wednesday that it had achieved a nuclear fusion reaction, saying the successful experiment has opened the door to the development of a new energy source.

However, a high-ranking government official in Seoul dismissed the report, calling the claim "absurd."

The official said on condition of anonymity that the government was not aware of any reports or evidence that the North possessed the expensive facility that would be necessary for such an experiment.

Fusion is the process used in hydrogen bomb to generate a thermonuclear explosion, which is far more powerful than a fission atomic device, according to experts.

The official said it was practically impossible for Pyongyang to build such a facility secretly and therefore thinks the report does not make sense.

In a front-page article, the Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the North Korean Workers' Party, reported that North Korean scientists produced a nuclear fusion reaction event.

The paper further said the success was a milestone demonstrating the North's cutting-edge technology with the scientists overcoming all scientific and technological challenges facing them.

Seoul's Ministry of Unification would not make any official comment on the matter, saying it was trying to figure out whether the report was true or not.

Local nuclear energy scientists, however, questioned Pyongyang's claim.

Professor Hong Sang-hee of Seoul National University said in an interview that he had heard nothing about the North undertaking nuclear fusion reaction studies before.

"Having said that, I guess the Rodong Sinmun probably tried to say that North Korea performed an experiment with a thermonuclear reaction device," he said.

Other nuclear scientists were skeptical of the report as well, saying nuclear fusion research is only underway in advanced nations.

Yang Hyung-lyeol, a nuclear scientist at the state-run National Fusion Research Institute, told The Korea Times over the phone that the North might have meant that it conducted a beginner-level experiment on nuclear fusion in a laboratory where "the research environment was as shabby as that of the university."

Asked if the communist state was trying to send a message that it had thermonuclear technology with the report, Yang said he was unaware of it.

"Considering the context of the statement in the paper, I think the North was simply commenting about energy technology, not that of weapons," he said.

The report came at a time when an investigation of the sinking of a South Korean Navy ship is currently underway.

South Korea has linked finding the cause of the naval disaster that took the lives of 46 sailors to the resumption of multilateral talks to end the North's nuclear program.

During a meeting with Chinese leaders on his recent trip to China, a traditional ally, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reportedly sent the message that his nation was willing to return to the six-party talks.

Given the timing of the Rodong Sinmun report, some North Korea watchers here speculate that the North might intend to use its claim on the nuclear technology as a bargaining chip if negotiations are resumed.

남한,북한의 핵융합 성공 주장 일축

북한은 수요일 성공적인 실험으로 새로운 에너지원의 개발의 문을 열게 됐다며

핵융합 반응을 달성했다고 주장했다.

그러나 한국 고위 관리는 이 주장이 “터무니 없는 것”이라며 이 같은 보도를 일축했다.

익명의 이 관리는 정부는 북한이 그 같은 실험을 위해 필요한 비싼 설비를 소유했다는 어떤 보도나 증거를 알고 있지 않다고 말했다.

전문가에 따르면 융합은 수소폭탄에서 수소원자의 폭발을 일으키기 위해서 사용된 과정으로 핵분열 기기보다 훨씬 더 강력하다.

북한이 그와 같은 설비를 비밀리에 만든다는 것은 실질적으로 불가능하며 그래서 이 보도는 말도 안 된다고 생각한다고 말했다. 북한 노동당 기관지인 로동신문은 1면 기사에서 자국 과학자들이 핵융합반응 성과를 이룩했다고 보도했다.