Will North Korea nuclear tunnel collapse lead to deadly Kim Jong-un rampage?

DISASTER at a North Korean nuclear site could push Kim Jong-un to explode an atomic warhead over the Pacific in a provocative show of strength, an expert warns.

A DISASTER at a North Korean nuclear site could push Kim Jong-un to explode an atomic warhead over the Pacific in a provocative show of strength, it has been claimed.

The North Korean leader could be at the brink of launching the deadly “Juche Bird” missile, which has the power to kill most of life in its strike zone, and cause extraordinary levels of environmental devastation to nearby countries, The Sunreports.

Kim could be keen to explode the hydrogen bomb after 200 people reportedly died at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, carved deep into the side of Mount Mantap.

The collapse reportedly took place around September 10 according to Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi and followed what North Korea claimed was a successful hydrogen bomb test only a week before.

Details of the collapse and exact figures remained unverified with news slow to come out of the secretive state.

Nuclear arms expert Joshua Pollack said the North may be pressed to explode the bomb in a “public demonstration” because “North Korean leadership undoubtedly feels pushed into a corner” to demonstrate the reliability of their missile which killed nearby underground workers.

If such a bomb hits the Pacific, radioactive particles will soar through the air and water — and wind could carry the deadly particles over hundreds of miles.

In the event of a failed missile test, the live nuclear warhead could fall on to Japan.

North Korea nuclear tunnel COLLAPSES ‘killing at least 200 people’ amid fears of a massive radioactive leak. Picture: The Sun

Joshua Pollack, an expert from James Martin Centre of Nonproliferation Studies told the Daily Caller: “It will be seen as an extraordinary provocative act, one that could create a new unity among the great powers against North Korea and inspire a drive for rearmament in Japan.”

The hydrogen bomb obtained its name from Jeffrey Lewis, a nuclear arms expert from Middlebury Institute of International Studies.

Mr Lewis coined the term so the missile would be seen as the North Korean answer to the American ‘Frigate Bird’ nuclear test of 1952.

When detonated it could launch a blinding flash, producing a signature mushroom cloud that emerged after hydrogen bomb explosions.

Conducting the test could involve putting a nuclear warhead on top of a ballistic missile, before launching them together towards the sea.

“Multiple North Korean officials have alluded to atmospheric testing,” Ankit Panda, the senior editor at The Diplomat told the site.

“It suggests to me that they’re priming the international community for such an eventuality.”

Pyongyang officials initially threatened to launch the “most powerful detonation of an H-bomb in the Pacific” after US President Donald Trump said America would “totally destroy” the communist state during his United Nations maiden speech.

Mr Kim has been engaged in a war of words with the United States following a series of missile tests this year.

‘AUTOMATIC RETALIATION’

Meanwhile, one of North Korea’s most high-profile defectors has warned what would happen if the United States launched a military strike against the country.

Thae Yong-Ho, former deputy chief of mission at the North Korean Embassy in London, warned a congressional hearing that such action on part of the US would trigger automatic retaliation, with the North unleashing artillery and short-range missile fire on South Korea.

The Trump administration has said this was among its options in stopping Mr Kim from perfecting a nuclear-tipped missile that could strike the US.

Thae Yong-ho warned a US pre-emptive strike against North Korea would have deadly consequences. Picture: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Mr Thae, the highest-level North Korean defector in two decades, appeared to confirm what had long been suspected but rarely articulated by US officials — that even a selective American strike could rain a potentially devastating North Korean military response on the South Korean capital.

Mr Thae, who is making his first visit to Washington since his defection last year, said the US and allied South Korea would win a war after a preventive military strike on the North.

However he warned there would be a “human sacrifice” inflicted on the South from the “tens of thousands” of artillery guns and short-range missiles the North had at the frontier.

“North Korean officers are trained to press their button without any further instructions from the general command if anything happens on their side,” Mr Thae told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“We have to remember that tens of millions of (the) South Korean population are living 70 to 80 kilometres away from this military demarcation line.”

He urged Washington to use “soft power” instead — enforcing sanctions and disseminating information challenging North Korean propaganda to turn people against Kim’s authoritarian government.

He also contended that if China allowed an “exit route” for North Korean defectors without fear of forcible repatriation, there would be a “massive exodus” to the South that would cause the collapse of the North Korean system.

North Korea has called Mr Thae “human scum” and accused him of embezzling government money and committing other crimes.

His stark warning comes ahead of Mr Trump’s five-nation trip to Asia that would include a stop in South Korea.

The US administration said it sought a diplomatic solution to the nuclear stand-off but “all options” were on the table and Mr Trump had threatened the total destruction of North Korea if the US was forced to defend itself or its allies.

A Congressional Research Service report published last week said that conservative estimates anticipated that in the first hours of a conflict, North Korean artillery situated along the frontier could cause tens of thousands of casualties in South Korea, where at least 100,000 and possibly as many as 500,000 Americans live — including nearly 30,000 US troops.

It said a protracted conflict, particularly one in which North Korea used its nuclear, biological or chemical weapons, could cause enormous casualties on a greater scale.

Some analysts contended the risk of Kim acquiring a nuclear weapon capable of targeting the US homeland was greater than the risks associated with the outbreak of a regional war, the report said.

— with The Sun and AP