N. Korea to Conduct Nuke Test in October?

September 9th, 2004 - by admin

The Chosun Ilbo / South Korea – 2004-09-09 09:19:19

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200409/200409030023.html

(September 3, 2004) — Grand National Party Lawmaker Park Jin, who is currently attending the US Republic (sic) Party national convention, said Thursday that North Korea may conduct a nuclear experiment in October, and this intelligence was quietly making its way around Washington political circles.

Moreover, a high-ranking US government official recently met with a North Korean diplomatic official in New York and official conveyed concerns over this intelligence, Park said.

While he was visiting the headquarters of the New York-based Wall Street Journal on Thursday, too, Park was asked by a high-ranking member of the paper’s editorial staff whether he knew of the “October Surprise.” The editor said that talk of a North Korean nuclear test in October was going around Washington political circles and high-ranking government officials, and such talk had even made it to the New York media.

Park said that through inquiries to high-ranking US Defense Department officials and White House beat reporters from major media companies, he was able to reconfirm that such talk was, in fact, going around.

Park did not reveal who conveyed US concerns to North Korea through New York diplomatic channels, but he did say that a high-ranking US government official officially expressed concern over a possible “October Surprise,” and North Korea showed no response.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

Posted in accordance with Title 17, US Code for noncommercial, educational purposes.