Another show of might
North Korea claims it has detonated a thermonuclear device in its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date.
TOKYO: North Korea announced it detonated a thermonuclear device in its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date, a big step towards its goal of developing nuclear weapons capable of striking anywhere in the US. The North called it a “perfect success” while its neighbours condemned the blast immediately.
Though the precise strength of the blast has yet to be determined, South Korea’s weather agency said the artificial earthquake it caused was five to six times stronger than tremors generated by its previous tests. It reportedly shook buildings in China and in Russia.
The test was carried out at 12.29pm local time at the Punggyeri site where North Korea has also conducted past nuclear tests.
Officials in Seoul put the magnitude at 5.7, while the U.S. Geological Survey said it was a magnitude 6.3. The strongest artificial quake from previous tests was a magnitude 5.3.
North Korea’s state-run television broadcast a special bulletin yesterday afternoon to announce the test.
It said leader Kim Jong-un attended a meeting of the ruling party’s presidium and signed the go-ahead order.
Earlier in the day, the party’s newspaper ran a front-page story showing photos of Kim examining what it said was a nuclear warhead being fitted onto the nose of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
US President Donald Trump said yesterday on Twitter the North’s “words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous” to the US. He called it “a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success”.
China is by far the North’s biggest trading partner, but Trump yesterday appeared to be more critical of South Korean President Moon Jaein, who has attempted to reach out to the North.
“South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!” Trump tweeted.
Yesterday’s detonation builds on recent North Korean advances that include test launches in July of two ICBMs that are believed to be capable of reaching the mainland United States. Pyongyang says its missile development is part of a defensive effort to build a viable nuclear deterrent that can target US cities.
China’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the Chinese govern- ment has “expressed firm opposition and strong condemnation”. It urged North Korea to “stop taking erroneous actions that deteriorate the situation”.
South Korea held a National Security Council meeting chaired by Moon. National Security Director Chung Eui-yong said Moon will seek every available measure, including new UN sanctions or the deployment of more US military assets, to further isolate Pyongyang.
Officials in Seoul also said US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster spoke with Chung for 20 minutes in an emergency phone call about an hour after the detonation.
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the test “absolutely unacceptable”.
The nuclear test is the North’s first since Trump assumed office in January.
Trump has been talking tough with the North over its stepped-up missile tests, including a comment that Pyongyang would see fire, fury and power unlike any the world had ever witnessed if it continued even verbal threats.
The North claimed the device it tested was a thermonuclear weapon – commonly called an H-bomb. That could be hard to independently confirm. It said the underground test site did not leak radioactive materials, which would make such a determination even harder.
At the same time, the simple power of the blast was convincing.
Japan’s Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said it might have been as powerful as 70 kilotons.
North Korea’s previous largest was thought to be anywhere from 10 to 30 kilotons. “We cannot deny it was an H-bomb test,” Onodera said. “North Korea might have successfully tested a weapon with significantly large capability.”
North Korea conducted two nuclear tests last year, the last nearly a year ago, on the Sept 9 anniversary of the nation’s founding. It has been launching missiles at a record pace this year.