North Korea has announced that it had successfully detonated a “miniaturised” hydrogen bomb, which is set to trigger global repercussions. Though the claims are as yet unconfirmed, a blast — earlier believed to have been a 5.1 magnitude earthquake — was registered near the North Korean city of Sungjibaegam late yesterday.
North Korea announces successful hydrogen bomb test https://t.co/yNs8Ujr4Td
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 6, 2016
South Korea and Japan have called for urgent action against North Korea, which has violated international warnings not to perform nuclear testing. Both nations want the UN to step in as quickly as possible. The official statement confirming nuclear testing came from the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency:
The official statement confirming nuclear testing, which came from the state-run Korean Central News Agency, would have been laughable if the circumstances weren’t so serious.
There took place a world-startling event to be specially recorded in the national history spanning 5,000 years in the exciting period when all service personnel and people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are making a giant strides, performing eye-catching miracles and exploits day by day after turning out as one in the all-out charge to bring earlier the final victory of the revolutionary cause of Juche, true to the militant appeal of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).
That’s the introduction of a lightly-edited version published on WSJ.
It goes on to claim that a small H-bomb test was conducted in a ‘safe’ manner, and that North Korea’s nuclear weapons would act as a deterrent against US forces.
WATCH: This is how North Korea conducts fourth nuclear test pic.twitter.com/DCbByFqg1Q
— Press TV (@PressTV) January 6, 2016
It goes without saying that the UK and US are deeply against North Korea’s nuclear activities. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond was in Beijing when the announcement was made, and has reiterated his opposition to North Korea’s nuclear testing. National Security Council spokesperson Ned Price, meanwhile, has said that the US will intervene if its allies come under threat.
#NEWSGRAPHIC North Korea’s nuclear explosions compared pic.twitter.com/jXjJRwqNRn
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 6, 2016
Many journalists remain sceptical — as do South Korean authorities, who say no radiation has been so far detected.
#NEWSGRAPHIC Timeline of nuclear North Korea #NKorea @AFP pic.twitter.com/pUqs97ziGl
— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) January 6, 2016
[clear]
How Would A North Korean Nuke Affect The World’s Major Cities?
Using Nukemap, we’re able to find out. Nukemap is a nifty little tool that lets you plug in a city, town or even the middle of nowhere, pick a bomb and find out what sort of damage it would do. Jeepers.
[clear]
Updates:
The Latest on North Korea H-bomb test: S. Korea spy agency tells lawmaker the bomb tested was probably atomic: https://t.co/1X0A7EcVju
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 6, 2016
We are aware of seismic activity on the Korean Peninsula & have seen claims of a nuclear test. Statement: pic.twitter.com/WvyFkpJcZo
— WH National Security (@NSCPress) January 6, 2016
North Korea announces successful hydrogen bomb test https://t.co/yNs8Ujr4Td
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) January 6, 2016
This post originally appeared on Gizmodo UK, which is gobbling up the news in a different timezone.