North Korea Tests Hydrogen Bomb

North Korea announced that it successfully conducted a hydrogen bomb test on Wednesday morning.

The news of the successful hydrogen bomb test was reported by North Korean television a few hours after seismic monitoring agencies from several countries detected a 5.1 magnitude earthquake near the North Korean nuclear weapons testing complex, media reports say.

North Korea will continue to strengthen its nuclear program to protect itself from the hostile policies of the United States, it was stated in a declaration. North Korea also conveyed that it is a responsible nuclear state and promised that it would not use its nuclear weapons if its sovereignty is not violated and that it will not transfer its nuclear technology to others. This is the fourth nuclear weapon test in North Korea, which is under sanctions from the U.S. and the UN due to its nuclear weapons and missile development programs.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un indicated last month that his country, which possesses nuclear weapons, has produced a hydrogen bomb. North Korea is already a “powerful nuclear state ready to activate atomic and hydrogen bombs in reliable defense of its sovereignty,” Kim Jong-un said during an inspection visit to a military base.

North Korea has tested atomic bombs that use the process of nuclear fission three times, in 2006, 2009, and 2013. Due to these tests, it has repeatedly earned international sanctions. The hydrogen bomb uses fusion and produces a much stronger explosion, and the success of the hydrogen bomb would represent a significant advancement in its military nuclear program. Several seismic monitoring centers recorded an earthquake near the North Korean nuclear weapons testing complex on Wednesday, agencies reported, suggesting that the earthquake was likely caused by human activity. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that it recorded a 5.1 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday. South Korea announced that the earthquake occurred about 50 kilometers from the Punggye-ri complex where North Korea has previously conducted nuclear weapons tests, reported the South Korean agency Yonhap. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that a 4.9 magnitude earthquake was detected in North Korea on Wednesday. Xinhua, citing the Chinese earthquake agency, reported that the earthquake was recorded at 9:30 AM local time on Wednesday and that it is possible that it was an explosion.