Nuclear test causes tremor around North Korea

“The republic’s first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00AM (0330 GMT)”, North Korean state television announced.

Hydrogen bombs are generally more powerful and hard to make than atomic bombs.

Although North Korea did not specify the location, a 4.7-magnitude quake was detected near the first nuclear test site, Punggye-yok.

South Korea’s meteorological agency said separately that it had not detected any radiation after North Korea said it successfully conducted a hydrogen nuclear test.

Each of the country’s three earlier tests detonated atomic bombs, which rely on nuclear fission to achieve their destructive goal.

“Because it is, in fact, hydrogen, they could claim it is a hydrogen bomb”, he said.

“It’s not only grave provocation of our national security, but also an act that threatens our lives and future”.

Days later, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved military and economic sanctions against North Korea.

“The United States and Japan have requested emergency Security Council consultations for tomorrow morning regarding North Korea’s alleged nuclear test”, said Hagar Chemali, spokeswoman for the USA mission.

In a typically propaganda-heavy statement, it was claimed North Korea had boosted its “nuclear might to the next level” after testing a “miniaturised” hydrogen bomb.

“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 ran. Such tests advance its aims to build nuclear-tipped missiles that can be used as deterrents against its enemies – and especially against the United States, which Pyongyang has long pushed to withdraw its troops from the region and to sign a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War.

The White House said after the natural disaster that it was aware of the seismic activity and of North Korea’s claims of a nuclear test.

“North Korea has gone under the radar insofar as the media has been focused on the Middle East. From a nuclear perspective we don’t focus enough on North Korea or Pakistan”.

U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy met with Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday to discuss the test.

During discussions following North Korea’s launch of Rodong medium-range ballistic missiles in March 2014, China, North Korea’s close ally, called for restraint in taking tough action against the North lest it push the country to conduct a nuclear test, and instead sought to prioritize action on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

A statement released by the government-controlled KCNA news agency gave little detail about the test itself, only saying it “scientifically verified the power of the smaller H-bomb” and “had no adverse impact on the ecological environment”.