North Korea says it has successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test in a region of the country where it conducted three previous nuclear tests. A televised North Korean statement confirmed the test was a hydrogen bomb test in an area northeast of the reclusive country. The test took place at 10 a.m. local time, the regime said in a televised statement.
The seismic event, which measured the event at a magnitude of 5.1, occurred 19 kilometers (12 miles) east-northeast of Sungjibaegam, the United States Geological Survey said. South Korean foreign ministry hastily convened an emergency meeting, and officials in Japan were also holding discussions.
North Korea’s internationally isolated regime is a heavily militarized state with a huge standing army of 1.2 million active soldiers and 7.7 million reservists. But its conventional weaponry is dated, with limited effectiveness, and it has looked to developing its nuclear capabilities to project power internationally. FULL REPORT
