This blog focuses on biological threats, but to the extent nuclear weapons are a threat, I thought it would be of interest to post this comparison to the estimated power of the North Korean hydrogen bomb-like test that was reported today. 

     The test was estimated by Norsar to be less than 10,000 KT, and so I have created a chart to compare it to other nuclear explosions, including the two largest nuclear power plant explosions. Since nuclear power plant explosions are magnitudes smaller than modern nuclear bombs (except the first Hiroshima bomb which is comparable), here is how the North Korea test compared to other explosions measured in megatons, which is equivalent to a million tons of TNT, the equivalency measure for explosions.

       Here is a brief overview of the international law issues applicable to North Korea and the recent test of a hydrogen bomb device. North and South Korea were both admitted to the United Nations, giving some legitimacy to North Korea as a legitimate country in 1991.  Both North and South Korea signed a joint declaration on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in 1992. The U.S. and North Korea negotiated the Agreed Framework, with an objective to end North Korea’s nuclear program, in return for food and fuel aid as well as light-water reactors. The Agreed Framework kept open further talks toward normalization relations. North Korean began conducting nuclear tests again in 2006. North Korean is so heavily sanctioned that more sanctions will undoubtedly have little effect. (UN Security Council, Resolution 1695, Resolution 1718, Resolution 1874, and Resolution 2087.) Starving their people is considered a worthwhile tradeoff.  North Korea is the only country to withdraw (2003) from the Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) of the 191 members (although four never joined: Israel, Pakistan, India and South Sudan).  The International Atomic Energy Commission, associated with the United Nations is the international body which monitors nuclear power and non-proliferation. In 2007, the IAEA sent an inspection team to North Korea to ensure nonproliferation.