Nuclear North Korea draws IU reaction

When North Korea announced it had successfully tested a nuclear weapon Monday morning, heads turned around the world. \nFrom Bloomington to Beijing, North Korea's assertion as a nuclear nation angered many and incited fear among others as world leaders scrambled and ordinary citizens attempted to comprehend the effects of the situation.\nAt IU, many students said they realized the importance of such an event and expressed concern over the prospect of a nuclear North Korea.\nIU sophomore Hyun-Seok Oh spent most of his life living in South Korea and grew up in an era when much distrust existed between the neighboring nations. Oh said he was worried about the idea of nuclear weapons in North Korea but at the same time believed North Korea would use nuclear weapons mostly for political causes.\n"Even if you have 20 nuclear weapons and I have one -- even one is a threat because it is a nuclear weapon," he said. "It's the radiation; it's the chaos; it's the economic damages that America is going to get." \nOh also said the notion behind atomic weapons is often as powerful as the weapons themselves.\n"What's the incentive in hitting South Korea anyway? America would probably attack them right away," he said.\nHowever, senior Sang Hun Shin said he thought the United States has much to fear if North Korea presses on with nuclear weapons development. Shin said he thinks that although North Korea might not use the weapons directly, the economically struggling nation could sell such weapons to terrorist organizations.\n"That's why America worries about North Korea. They can sell the technology to places like Iraq or to Al-Qaida," he said, saying that he thinks it is impossible for North Korea to attack America because their small weapons cache could never compare to the U.S. nuclear arsenal.\nProfessors within IU's Department of East Asian Language and Cultures also expressed concern over how an event like this could lead to instability throughout the region.\nScott O'Bryan, an assistant professor within the department, said he thought a number of political factors would impact this situation -- mainly the recent political shift in Japan.\nHe said the newly elected -- and far more right-leaning -- Japanese administration would be much more likely to listen to citizens' calls for an expanded and more proactive military.\n"People always worry whenever there is a balance of power shift -- like when the Soviet Union disbanded," he said. "Their biggest fear is that there will be a nuclear arms race within the region, and no one wants to see that."\nThe UN Security Council was quick to respond Monday, as all 15 nations within the council denounced the reported underground atomic explosion, according to the Associated Press.\n"I was very impressed by the unanimity of the council on the need for a strong and swift answer to what everyone agreed amounted to a threat of international peace and security," U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton said, according to AP reports.\nIf the reports hold up, North Korea will become the eighth nation to join what has become known as the world's "nuclear club"