North Korea had earlier tested its third nuclear device, one that seems to have been significantly more powerful than the those tested previously. In December 2012, it also put its first satellite into orbit. The North Korean official media until recently had talked about "peaceful exploration of space" and the "development of nuclear power generation" as major reasons behind their intense nuclear and rocket research. However, these pretexts have now been discarded. Pyongyang has finally openly admitted what has been widely assumed for decades: it aims at becoming a full nuclear power, capable of deploying Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) equipped with nuclear warheads. As if desiring to drive the message even further, North Korea in early March fired a full broadside of unusually hysterical threats, promising to employ its nuclear weapons and missile to make "not only Seoul, but also Washington into a sea of fire". Gone are the days whe