North Korea's May Nuclear Test Few Kilotons: U.S.

North Korean soldiers guard the bank of the Yalu River near the Chongsong County of North Korea, opposite the Chinese border town of Hekou June 15, 2009. REUTERS/Jacky Chen

From Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has determined that the nuclear test conducted by North Korea last month yielded an explosion of a few kilotons, the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence said on Monday.

"The U.S. intelligence community assesses that North Korea probably conducted an underground nuclear explosion in the vicinity of Punggye on May 25, 2009," the office said in a statement. "The explosion yield was approximately a few kilotons."

North Korea's first nuclear test, in 2006, was about one kiloton.

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My Comment: If this news is true, this will be a disappointment to the North Korean military. A kiloton is still a large explosion, but considering the amount of money spent and resources committed .... this is a dud.