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North Korea Developing Electromagnetic Pulse Weapons
An anonymous reader writes "The Sydney Morning Herald reports, 'North Korea is using Russian technology to develop electromagnetic pulse weapons aimed at paralyzing military electronic equipment south of the border, according to South Korea's spy agency. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a report to parliament that the North had purchased Russian electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weaponry to develop its own versions. EMP weapons are used to damage electronic equipment. At higher energy levels, an EMP can cause more widespread damage including to aircraft structures and other objects. The spy agency also said the North's leader Kim Jong-Un sees cyber attacks as an all-purpose weapon along with nuclear weapons and missiles, according to legislators briefed by the NIS.'" Let's not forget that North Korea has also achieved nuclear fusion, developed a super drink that can cure aging and disease, and found a "unicorn lair" last year.
It's all part of a plan to destroy the rest of the world by having the only part that doesn't use electronics. Thus they can set off a global EMP without consequence.
Clever of them, isn't it?
Wouldn't an EMP also fry all of the electronics owned by North Korean citizens....oh..wait.
Maybe even some wool socks if they're really pushing things.
A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
The reality is the anti-aging drink, nuclear fusion and EMP weapons are all byproducts of the biggest find, which was of course the unicorn lair. Technology beyond your wildest dreams, the unicorns have always held it back from us.
I for one hail our North Korean, unicorn riding overlords.
If you want to know what they're up to in Pyong-yang, check out the Bing Maps sat photos of the promenade near the stadium.
map
Someone flopped a steamer in the gene pool.
You would need a huge conventional device if you wanted to create the press vision of destructive field at any useful strength over distance.
Real military devices are hardened and ready by design for nuclear related EMP. The Swiss bunkers show planning for such events in the real world at a civilian bunker setting over many, many years.
The other option is a low yield nuclear device with the desired characteristics - again something military devices are hardened and ready by design.
Or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphite_bomb to go after an electrical supply grid.
So the military was always ready.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Actually, no. Remember that the West developed the Neutron Bomb which destroyed the people and left all that capital for ready use!
"[I]t is a wise man who admits the limits of his knowledge or skill, and that pretending either causes harm." --Terry Go
Let's not forget that North Korea has also achieved nuclear fusion, developed a super drink that can cure aging and disease, and found a "unicorn lair" last year.
And let's not forget that the US has achieved democracy, developed a universal healthcare plan to cure aging and disease, and found WMDs in Iraq.
Our bullshit is more refined but equally pervasive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GoldenEye
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Another_Day
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
Given the frivolous nature of the comments on this article thus far it seems that few of you have ever considered the effects of a serious EMP attack on your way of life. The mere fact that NK can put something in orbit means they don't necessarily have to have the tech to deliver it to the us as you would a ballistic missile, but just wait for the oppotune time to de-orbit it. In addition, the US happens to be in a location where the earth's magnetic field can significantly enhance the effect of a NEMP. My admittedly hazy memory says the effect of catastrophic failure of US power infrastructure from a well placed NEMP was 70% of the population due to starvation, rioting and the other horsemen of the apocalypse. In addition, the estimate was decades to restore full services if you even could under such circumstances.
Imagine the Dear Leader's reaction when his Samsung Galaxy cell phone, Samsung TV and Samsung laptop computer all stop working at the same time: It is a South Korean plot to sabotage the NK!
Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
No country currently has an operational neutron bomb.
No-one's actually shown that neutron bombs will work as intended. The high neutron flux would do all kinds of weird shit to building materials. Could make the entire city too radioactive to be useful.
Let's also not forget that North Korea successfully launched a satellite into a stable polar orbit (higher than the ISS). That first payload was a bit of a dud, but they have a proven ability to send a package over any part of the Earth's surface.
They weren't meant for use inside cities anyway. They were for fighting mass tank formations while minimizing the destruction to West Germany. Minimizing, not eliminating: they still had large blast and thermal effects.
For most places that I've looked at, Bing has better "bird's eye" imagery then Google has at maximum zoom level. If you're just looking for basic satellite imagery, directions, etc I prefer Google Maps, but if you want the best detail, I think Bing is better.
Everything else Bing-related sucks though.