Abe, Obama confirm cooperation over North Korea’s nuke test

The US, Japan and South Korea have chose to launch a united and strong worldwide response to North Korea’s claim of a successful hydrogen bomb test.

The White House said Obama spoke with South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in separate conversations late Wednesday.

“It’s worth remembering, North Korea was able to obtain nuclear weapons because of an agreement negotiated by the Clinton administration”, the Texas Republican said in a Wednesday statement.

North Korea yesterday conducted its first hydrogen bomb test – triggering an quake near the state’s main nuclear site.

“That gets into intelligence issues and I think you can understand, particularly in the case of North Korea, why we are going to be reticent to discuss intelligence matters and capabilities”, Kirby said.

“North Korea continues to be one of the most isolated nations in the world and their isolation has only deepened as they have sought to engage in increasingly provocative acts”, he said.

Right after the country had carried out the nuclear test, crowds dressed in thick winter coats gathered outside a large video screen near a Pyongyang train station took videos and photos on their mobile phones.

United Nations diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because talks have been private, said a new resolution would aim to add more people to the sanctions list, including those linked to a key procurement company, and limit the travel of senior North Korean officials.

However, this is the first announcement of an H-bomb experiment. “All of that is a result of the failed leadership of the North Korean regime”.

North Korea claimed its hydrogen bomb was “miniaturized” to fit on a missile – which would be a huge engineering achievement – also unlikely.

“This clearly violates UN Security Council resolutions and is a grave challenge against worldwide efforts for non-proliferation”.

Asked about North Korea, Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump told CNN that “China should solve that problem” or face trade retaliation from the United States.

North Korea has repeatedly said joint military maneuvers by South Kora and the U.S. pose direct threats against its security.

South Korean officials said they were considering a variety of punitive measures.

The country’s leader, Kim Jong-Un, scribbled on the detonation order: “Let’s begin the year of 2016 with the thrilling sound of our first hydrogen bomb explosion”.

Hydrogen bombs are more powerful and technologically advanced than atomic weapons, using fusion – the merging of atoms – to unleash massive amounts of energy.