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North Korea Claims to Successfully Detonate Hydrogen Bomb
North Korea claims to have successfully conducted its first hydrogen bomb test prompting panic around the world, particularly in Japan and South Korea.
According to USA Today, the United Nations Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting later today to respond to the reports of the success of the hydrogen bomb. If the findings are true, the test makes Pyongyang’s hopes of launching a long-range nuclear missile that much more of a reality.
“Make the world … look up to our strong nuclear country and labor party by opening the year with exciting noise of the first hydrogen bomb!” read a document signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on state television.
However, experts still doubt the success and credibility of the test. Senior research fellow Yan Uk at the Korea Defense and Security firm shared with The Independent that “given the scale, it is hard to believe this is a real hydrogen bomb.They could have tested some middle stage kind [of device] between an A-bomb and a H-bomb, but unless they come up with any clear evidence, it is difficult to trust their claim.”
The apparent test took place underground around 10 A.M (8:30 P.M. ET Tuesday), which resulted in a magnitude 5.1 earthquake that centered 12 miles east-southeast of Sungjibaegam, reported the U.S. Geological Survey. The findings are comparable from North Korea’s most recent plutonium test in 2013.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye called for an accurate investigation of the so-called hydrogen bomb.
“It’s not only grave provocation of our national security, but also an act that threatens our lives and future. It’s also a direct challenge to world peace and stability,” Geun-hye explained.
The head of the UN Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization, which screens nuclear testing around the world, explained that if the claims are true, North Korea has breached the treaty and could be a great threat to international peace. Whether or not the claims are true, North Korea has the attention of the world, which may have been their main goal all along.
