North Korea conducts H-bomb test, a major setback for regional peace

By Park Sae-jin Posted : January 6, 2016, 13:46 Updated : January 6, 2016, 13:46

[AJU NEWS CORP DB]



In a surprise announcement, North Korea said it had successfully conducted a test of a miniaturized hydrogen nuclear device on Wednesday morning, marking a major step forward in its banned nuclear program.

The claim, if true, is a major setback for reconciliation efforts on the Korean Peninsula, posing a grave threat to security in the region and extinguishing any chance of a resumption of six-country talks on North Korea's nuclear program.

"The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016, based on the strategic determination of the Workers' Party," a reader of North Korean state television news said.

A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion than the fission blast generated by uranium or plutonium alone.

Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un had suggested Pyongyang had already developed a hydrogen bomb -- although the claim was greeted with skepticism by international experts.

The North said Wednesday it would continue to strengthen its nuclear program in order to protect itself against the hostile policies of the United States.

The North also said aid it will not give up its nuclear program as long as the United States maintained what it called "its stance of aggression".

North Korea also said it will act as a responsible nuclear state and vowed not to use its nuclear weapons unless its sovereignty was infringed. It also said it will not transfer its nuclear capabilities to other parties.

The announcement on North Korean state TV followed detection of a 5.1 magnitude earthquake near its known nuclear test site earlier on Wednesday

The United States Geological Survey reported a 5.1 magnitude quake that South Korea said was 49 km (30 miles) from the Punggye-ri site where the North has conducted nuclear tests in the past.

While the USGS put the depth of the earthquake at 10 km, the South Korean agency said it was near the surface. The earthquake was detected just after 10 a.m. Seoul time (0100 GMT).

In Seoul, the presidential Blue House called an emergency meeting of the National Security Council and said the North would pay the price for its nuclear test. .

The nuclear test is the fourth by the isolated country, which is under U.S. and UN sanctions for its nuclear and missile program.

By Alex Lee
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