dear bomb

I think DPF summed it up best with

This is not a good thing at all. This is very bad, and there will be consequences down the road.

North Korea today issued the a statement claiming that they had

successfully conducted an underground nuclear test under secure conditions on October 9, 2006

adding that the test

will contribute to defending the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the area around it

I'm not holding my breath.

The msm are variously reporting that the test took place at either the Yongbyon nuclear facility, located 100km north of Pyongyang, or at Hwadaeri (CNN citing Hwaderi, a place that doesn't exist) near Kilju City, while seismic data indiicated the only activity of it's type today located here.

I'd like to say that I hope this is just North Korea puffing itself up with lies, but - like others - I'm scared of not only the crazy North Korean leadership, but of how their neighbours and the world reacts. We haven't had any problems out of India and Pakistan yet, granted, but I'm not as confident with Kim Jong IL behind the wheel.

Big discussion over at Kiwiblog - Matthew Webster has a good summary of the problems with both military and economic solutions, concluding that

I think its pretty close to an intractable problem, internationally speaking, and it maybe that this problem is only "solved" (in as much as is possible here) by the reactions of countries who feel their security is threatened.