North Korea

[TractorFace]

The NK female news presenter is surreal. I have to pinch myself to make sure it's not a parody.

[dermotdermot]

Do I take it that North Korea is off the radar as far as tourist destinations go?

[COYC73]

Do I take it that North Korea is off the radar as far as tourist destinations go?

No....not at all! I'm sure it's at the top of most people's list of exciting completely safe destinations to visit Don't forget to bring back a souvenir.....maybe a sign off the wall in your hotel....something like that

[HiroshimaClaret]

That'll be down to construction materials. Many heavy masonry structures survived inside the area of "total destruction".



Infact some of those buildings that survived are very close to the origin of the blast - which makes some sense since it was an air burst and a downward blast is easier for buildings to surviva than a lateral blast - but even some other buildings that will have been hit at about 60-45 degrees survived not too far from the blast.

You can infer from that picture and this one how close those buildings in the top left quarter of the above image were from the blast origin.

My apartment building is pretty close to No.19 and my children`s nursery right by No.17. Scary to think about it. I meet and talk to scores of people in my everyday life here and not one of them was NOT affected in some way by the bomb and its after affects (my mother-in-law`s cancer was said to have been caused by the radiation - HER mother was pregnant at the time).

The use and threatened use of nuclear weapons is vile and a black mark on the thinking of humanity. Alas, evil and destruction has run through the veins of human history and I very much doubt it will ever stop doing so.

[Goalposts]

just to remind everyone we are still technically at war with Nth Korea as no surrender or peace treaty was agreed , just a ceasefire..

[Terrier]

Where is vidal sassoon when you need him, i'd be pretty pi$$ed off with the world if thats the best hairdo available.

[AGENT_CLARET]

NK has 1.5 full time military and 9.5 people military trained. Can't imagine anyone wanting to invade.

With modern warfare you don't need to invade any more

[JohnMac]

Having a nuclear weapon is useless without a delivery system and NK will never have the means to attack the UK.
They may launch one at Japan but I don't think it would get there without being intercepted.

Of interest, the Korean War has never officially ended, there is a ceasefire in place though since 1953.

[gandhisflipflop]

Nope. The two nations never signed a peace treaty. I find the boarder between the north and south fascinating. They have a room bang on the boarder so half of it is in the north and half in the south and soldiers have been known to hold onto eachother incase they are dragged over the line.

[JohnMac]

I know many people who have served at Panmunjeom as part of the Guard. A scary place to be at any time let alone now.

[dermotdermot]

A Guardian headline states that North Korea's 'Pink Lady' is about to announce the end of the world. So I guess that's it folks.

[South West Claret.]

6th Nuclear test causing an earthquake. Not looking good

Don't worry to much about NK the Chinese have them on a lead I expect.

[tim_noone]

A Guardian headline states that North Korea's 'Pink Lady' is about to announce the end of the world. So I guess that's it folks.

The north have some fire power aimed south.

[Rumbletonk]

Surely Gok Wan is the man to sort this out. I watched a program where he made an over weight lady feel much happier just by buying her a nice blouse. I think he might be from that neck of the woods too

[CrosspoolClarets]

This is what happens 60 years after you massacre 20% of a countries population.

After the North invaded the South in the 1950s I don't think the US response was in any way proportionate. More like indiscriminate.

Brainwashing dictators love a bogey man amd the US has handed it to them on a plate.

This is shaping up to be a diplomatic nightmare but one struggles to see an outcome where the US isn't even more hated than it is already. Whatever the solution, it cannot be war.

[Lancasterclaret]

Are you sure you are talking about the right Asian country?

Sounds like you are talking about Vietnam

Regarding Hiroshima and Nagasaki even though they were utterly horrific, they pale into (almost) insignificance compared to the Fire bombing of Tokyo on March 9th 1945.