“Let the world look up to the strong, self-reliant nuclear-armed state”, Kim Jong Un said in a hand-written note that was displayed on state TV following the test. According to North Korea’s claims, the device in question was a small hydrogen bomb.
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“The republic’s first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00AM (0330 GMT)”, North Korean state television announced.
Before North Korea’s announcement, a magnitude 5.1 quake was measured in the country near the site of an earlier nuclear weapons test, officials said Tuesday night.
In December a year ago, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that the country had developed a hydrogen bomb, but many experts were similarly sceptical.
A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion. China will push forward the denuclearisation and remain committed to resolve the nuclear issue within the framework of six party talks involving China, the US, North and South Korea, Japan, and Russian Federation, she said.
If successful, experts said the test will reflect a significant advancement in the North’s capabilities, including the ability to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile capable of reaching the US.
“By succeeding in the H-bomb test in the most ideal manner to be specially recorded in history the DPRK proudly joined the advanced ranks of nuclear weapons states possessed of even H-bomb”, the statement said.
National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said the US was working “in close coordination with our regional partners”.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that the reported test was performed in defiance of the global community and urged North Korea to refrain from acts that might worsen tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
He wrote: “If North Korean H-bomb test reports are true, it is a grave breach of #UNSC resolutions & a provocation which I condemn without reservation”.
Additionally, North Korea is believed to only possess missiles with a range of 6000km so while China, Russia and Alaska are at risk, London is not within range.
Pyongyang says its nuclear weapons program is necessary to defend itself against the United States.
“The regime in Pyongyang continues to be a threat to world peace, and its self-imposed isolation from the rest of the world only serves to further oppress its own citizens”, Clement said in a statement.
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Naturally, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump took the opportunity to bash China, saying on Fox News that they needed to get North Korea under control.
