About the Author
David Von Hippel
Dr. David Von Hippel is a Nautilus Institute Senior Associate based in Eugene, Oregon. His work with Nautilus has centered on energy and environmental issues in Asia, and particularly in Northeast Asia.
On September 9th, North Korea carried out an underground nuclear weapons test. The test, the DPRK’s fifth and largest to date, was underscored by the DPRK test-firing three medium-range rockets that splashed down in Japanese waters.
Nuclear and missile tests, as with previous such events, were clearly intended by the DPRK as a provocation to regional and international powers, and, in the words of one analyst, demonstrated "its resolve and commitment to developing a nuclear arsenal able to strike its enemies.”