NKorea’s Kim Jong-un ‘ready’ to unleash hydrogen bomb
New nuclear boast by North Korean leader raises alarm about potential threat posed by isolated country
Seoul-t'ukpyolsi
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
North Korea is “ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb,” according to the reclusive state’s media Thursday.
The KCNA news agency quoted authoritarian leader Kim Jong-un as making the claim about the North’s nuclear capabilities.
A hydrogen bomb -- or H-bomb, considered the world’s most destructive weapon -- would represent a significant jump for North Korea, which is known to have conducted three nuclear tests since 2006.
Having succeeded his father in 2011, Kim had not previously publicly mentioned the development of a hydrogen bomb.
The already heavily-sanctioned North has come under international scrutiny this year for trying to further its submarine-launched ballistic missile technology, including with a reported failed test-launch last month.
Kim also insisted that North Korea had become a “powerful nuclear weapons state” -- despite joint denuclearization efforts by the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Japan.
There is no evidence at this stage to support the North Korean leader’s H-bomb claim.
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