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  • On this episode of China Uncensored:

  • North Korea is being a jerk again.

  • So c'mon, China,

  • What are you going to do about it?

  • Hi, welcome to China Uncensored,

  • I'm your host Chris Chappell.

  • Well, it's happened!

  • Despite sanctions and international condemnation,

  • North Korea detonated a nuclear bomb!

  • Again...

  • Last week, on January 6,

  • the world literally shook at this announcement from the official Korean Central News Agency!

  • That's North Korea by the way.

  • The hermit kingdom is now

  • "equipped with the most powerful nuclear deterrent."

  • No, not Kim Jong Un's hair.

  • A hydrogen bomb!

  • That's right,

  • North Korean state media says they successfully detonated a thermonuclear warhead,

  • and it caused a 4.8 magnitude earthquake.

  • Which, in North Korea, is apparently cause for celebration!

  • "I would like to express my deepest gratitude to our party for guaranteeing the 10 million

  • year-future of Kim Il Sung's nation and Kim Jong Il's Korea."

  • Whoa.

  • Now North Korea has a history of making some rather bold claims.

  • Like, former leader Kim Jong-Il invented the hamburger,

  • didn't need to go to the bathroom,

  • and upon his birth, a new star was born in the sky,

  • a double rainbow appeared,

  • and the season instantaneously went from winter to spring.

  • That’s ridiculous!

  • Everyone knows that In-N-Out invented the hamburger.

  • So obviously,

  • lies like these are why there's been some doubt whether North Korea actually detonated

  • a hydrogen bomb.

  • You see, a hydrogen bomb,

  • also called a thermonuclear bomb,

  • would be a major leap forward for them.

  • They're far more powerful than bombs North Korea seems to have tested in previous years.

  • But is it true?

  • When US tested a hydrogen bomb in 1971,

  • it caused a 6.8 earthquake. Last week's North Korean detonation was only 4.8

  • slightly weaker than the 4.9 earthquake caused by their 2013 nuclear test,

  • which was a regular atomic bomb.

  • So what do we actually know?!

  • "Well, we know it was a nuclear test."

  • Okay. But what else do we know?

  • "That you may want to derive more information so that you can improve your analysis of an

  • event doesn't mean that you were taken aback by an event or surprised by the event.

  • It's part of the analysis process and I am not confirming in any way by the statement…"

  • It's like watching a deer caught in the headlights

  • Come on!

  • This is the 4th nuclear test by North Korea since 2006.

  • Doesn't anyone have a clear plan on how to deal with the very real threat of an nuclear-armed

  • North Korea?!

  • Ah, it appears South Korea does...

  • Ok. Their plan is to blast K-Pop across the border.

  • Anyone else have a plan?

  • "You do have a problem and you have a big problem with North Korea and we're going to

  • talk to China and we're going to get a long way with China and I love China because they

  • buy my apartments, they spend, you know, fortunes…"

  • Yeah it just goes on like that for a while but

  • I think Donald Trump is on to something!

  • Don't quote me on that.

  • But yes, China can sort this out!

  • China is North Korea's only ally

  • and really, the only thing propping that country up.

  • North Korea's GDP is a third of Ethiopia's.

  • And a lot of that is coming from trade with China.

  • So China's in a good position to pressure North Korea.

  • "To resolve such kind of complex issue needs more efforts from all sides.

  • The relevant party you just mentioned should ask themselves honestly,

  • what constructive efforts have they made?"

  • Um...other countries put economic sanctions on North Korea.

  • You could do the same.

  • You could even ban North Korean planes from entering Chinese airspace.

  • I mean, China can't be happy about this.

  • The last four nuclear tests were all carried out really close to the North Korea-China

  • border.

  • The earthquakes were felt in China.

  • This CCTV report says the Environmental Ministry had to test

  • if the air, soil and snow were clear of radiation.

  • Though I'm not sure how they could tell,

  • with pollution that's already having the same effect as a nuclear winter.

  • But the thing is, China loves North Korea like a brother.

  • A mischievous little brother that makes you look good in comparison.

  • Think China treats its citizens badly,

  • putting millions of innocent people in labor camps that are like dark dens of hell?

  • Sure, but c'mon!

  • Look at North Korea!

  • See? China's not so bad!

  • And this relationship also gives China political power.

  • Because if you want to pressure North Korea,

  • you need China's buy-in.

  • And more importantly,

  • China wants to prevent North Korea from collapsing.

  • If North Korea falls,

  • China could have to deal with 25 million refugees streaming across the border.

  • The world is barely been able to handle 4 million Syrian refugees.

  • On top of that,

  • North Korea serves as a barrier between China and the US military bases in South Korea.

  • So it makes sense that China is not actually that upset by its little brother setting off

  • the world's most dangerous firecrackers.

  • And that's why North Korea knows that it can do pretty much whatever it wants.

  • China isn't going to do anything to rock the boat.

  • Unfortunately for the rest of the planet,

  • there's not much we can do unless China is willing to tighten the screws on North Korea.

  • North Korea is already the most heavily sanctioned country on earth.

  • The only support they're really getting is from China.

  • And since there are a million North Korean troops, loads of artillery, and a promise

  • to turn South Korea's capital Seoul into "a sea of flames" should an invasion happen,

  • a Western military strike might be hard to carry out.

  • So what is the solution?

  • Yeah we're all doomed.

  • Well, what do you think can be done?

  • Leave your comments below,

  • and be sure to check out our Facebook page.

  • Once again I'm Chris Chappell.

  • See you next time.

  • Hopefully.

On this episode of China Uncensored:

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