The North Korean nuclear bomb announcement didn’t come as a total surprise to the world; it was however, interesting to see how the whole ordeal would play out. It is their first ever test of a nuclear weapon, and numerous questions about the details of the probe remain unanswered.
What we do know about the ordeal is that the test site is located somewhere in the remote mountains of North Korea. This would obviously be an ideal spot, as it poses less risk to residents. Nuclear weapons are typically tested underground to contain radioactive materials, and ensure secrecy. Testing these devices is not necessarily a cause for concern, however, given the hostile relationship that North Korea has with the United States and several other countries, the announcement was enough to bring a significant amount of attention to the matter.
The science behind this deadly technology involves plutonium at the core of the bomb, along with several detonators placed at different locations on the surface. To get maximum implosion, all of the atoms must split upon detonation. It’s quite a complicated process, however, many nations have already produced and tested their nuclear technology. Among them are Pakistan and India, both of whom confirmed their testing back in 1998.
Hopefully there will never be a need to go beyond testing any nuclear devices, and eventually, the threat of even owning one will go away.
