Korean conundrum

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NORTH Korea’s latest nuclear test last week was greeted with a predictable mixture of scepticism and consternation. The seemingly contradictory responses often emanated from the same sources.

On the one hand, serious doubts have been expressed about Pyongyang’s claim to have successfully detonated a hydrogen bomb, potentially far more devastating than a garden-variety atomic device and purportedly small enough to serve as a missile warhead.