North Korea Says It Conducted Hydrogen Bomb Test

“We have consistently made clear that we will not accept it as a nuclear state”, said a spokesman for the National Security Council. “I am convinced it will have repercussions on North Korea and global peace and stability”. She called the test a “grave provocation” and “an act that threatens our lives and future”.

The development illustrates the continuing challenge North Korea poses to its neighbors and the world.

Park also ordered the military to bolster its combined defense posture with the USA military, saying South Korea will sternly deal with any additional provocation by North Korea.

During the meeting, they discussed how to counter what the DPRK claimed was its first hydrogen bomb test.

Earlier in the day, South Korean media reported an quake near the North Korean nuclear facility. “We are committed to resolve the nuclear issue of the peninsula within the frame work of six party talks”.

The statement said the test was a “perfect success”.

Ri Sol Yong, a 22-year-old university student, said the test “gives us more national pride”. “If we didn’t have powerful nuclear weapons, we would already have been turned into the slaves of the U.S”.

“China firmly opposes this nuclear bomb test by North Korea”, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters at a daily briefing.

He said that since “there’s not much in play” with North Korea diplomatically with the U.S., South Korea or even China, leader Kim Jong Un “takes a little bit of a blow” with the test while gaining global attention and placating powerful officials in his regime.

Speculation among Korea watchers focused on the possibility that thin-skinned North Koreans were protesting over a perceived slight from the Chinese side, possibly over the song selection or guest list.

A large crowd celebrated in front of Pyongyang’s main train station as the announcement was read on a big video screen, with people taking videos or photos of the screen on their mobile phones and applauding and cheering. Many smiled and cheered.

December 2012: North Korea launches Unha-3 rocket that puts its first satellite into space.

Gauging the progress of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is a tricky business.

Lassina Zerbo says in a statement that the universally accepted norm against nuclear testing has been respected by 183 countries since 1996.

North Korea has tested nuclear weapons on three previous occasions, in 2006, 2009 and 2013, leading to new sanctions, mainly on financial transactions and maritime traffic, each time.

The Foreign Secretary said he condemns without reservation the move, which the country announced in a state broadcast.

He called it a violation of the U.N. Security Council agreements that is against the global efforts toward nuclear disarmament.

The Japanese government said there is a possibility that the seismic event was caused by a nuclear test and that it is gathering and analyzing information.

North Korea has long coveted diplomatic recognition from Washington but sees its nuclear deterrent as crucial to ensuring the survival of its third-generation dictatorship.

North Korea said it successfully tested a miniaturised hydrogen nuclear device today, claiming a significant advance in its strike capability and setting off alarm bells in Japan and South Korea.