North Korea Claims It Has Conducted First Hydrogen Bomb Test

North Korea has announced that it has successfully carried out a testing procedure for a hydrogen bomb in an underground facility located about thirty miles from the Chinese border. The event marks the fourth reported nuclear test in the last decade, and the first using the hydrogen bomb; the most recent test in February 2013 was also under the watchful rule of supreme leader Kim Jong-un.

A 5.1 magnitude seismic quake was first detected by the U.S. Geological Survey in the north-eastern part of the country, and reports from North Korean-state run media later confirmed the tests. The unexpected announcement on state television read, “The republic’s first hydrogen bomb test has been successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016.”

The Korean Central News Agency reported the following:

“This test is a measure for self-defense the DPRK has taken to firmly protect the sovereignty of the country and the vital right of the nation from the ever-growing nuclear threat and blackmail by the U.S.-led forces and to reliably safeguard the peace on the Korean Peninsula and regional security.”

In May of 2015, the North Korean capital city of Pyongyang touted that a missile was launched from a submarine, resulting in global condemnation from world leaders.

Watch the above video from CNN’s New Day.

[image via screengrab]

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