Dion condemns North Korean announcement that it tested hydrogen bomb

“This nuclear test is Pyongyang’s fourth, and considering the state is claiming it is its first hydrogen bomb test, it may shake Northeast Asia’s security landscape and fundamentally change the nature of North Korea’s nuclear issue”, the president said.

More powerful and advanced than atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs use fusion rather than fission to create a blast.

“If this test is confirmed then it will be a new step by Pyongyang on the path of developing nuclear weapons, which is a flagrant violation of global law and existing UN Security Council resolutions”, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Whatever the type of the test, North Korea’s fourth nuclear explosion will likely push Pyongyang’s scientists and engineers closer to their goal of building a bomb small enough to place on a missile that can reach the USA mainland.

South Korea’s military has increased its monitoring of North Korea after the state claimed a successful test of a miniaturized hydrogen device.

Therefore, the country is unlikely to see any worsening in its economic situation even if the alleged nuclear test led to new sanctions.

South Korea’s Defense Ministry said, without elaborating, that it was bolstering its security posture in response.

Tensions were reduced following the talks – but at the time North Korea warned it could start a “nuclear war”.

Experts had believed North Korea was still some years from being able to hit a target with a nuclear bomb delivered by a missile.

According to an AP report, North Korea conducted its third nuclear test in February 2013.

Wednesday’s reported test was performed in defiance of the global community and in contravention of its earlier denuclearization promises, Hua said.

Scientific agency the United States geological survey measured the seismic activity at 5.1 magnitude on the richter scale. The letter read “5.1 quake near North Korea’s nuclear facility”.

Following the announcement, several states, especially neighboring South Korea and Japan, have subsequently called for new sanctions against North Korea.

North Korea conducted its last nuclear test in 2013. South Korea’s intelligence agency said the device may not have been a hydrogen nuclear bomb, but an atomic bomb, according to Yonghap news agency. ‘We’ve joined the rank of nations with nuclear weapons.

It could take weeks before the true nature of the test is confirmed by outside experts – if they are able to do so at all. The South Korean government said it’s convening an emergency meeting of the National Security Council. Updates will be added as more information becomes available.