BBC News
International condemnation have
greeted North Korea's claim to have successfully carried out an underground
hydrogen bomb test.
If confirmed, it would be North
Korea's fourth nuclear test since 2006 and mark a major upgrade in its
capabilities.
But nuclear experts have
questioned whether the size of the blast was large enough to have been from an
H-bomb.
South Korea called the test a
"grave provocation" but said it was difficult to believe it was from
such a device.
Hydrogen bombs are more powerful
and technologically advanced than atomic weapons, using fusion - the merging of
atoms - to unleash massive amounts of energy.
Atomic bombs, like the kind that
devastated two Japanese cities in World War II, use fission, or the splitting
of atoms.
Bruce Bennett, an analyst with the
Rand Corporation, was among those casting doubts on Pyongyang's test: "The
bang they should have gotten would have been 10 times greater than what they're
claiming.
"So Kim Jong-un is either
lying, saying they did a hydrogen test when they didn't, they just used a
little bit more efficient fission weapon - or the hydrogen part of the test
really didn't work very well or the fission part didn't work very well."
The data "doesn't support
suggestions that the bomb was a hydrogen bomb", Chinese military expert Du
Wenlong told state broadcaster CCTV.
A South Korean politician, Lee
Cheol-woo, said he was briefed by the country's intelligence agency that the
blast "probably falls short" of a hydrogen detonation.
But former British ambassador in
Pyongyang John Everard warned "an explosion of that size is quite enough
to wipe out a city and I think that, of course, is deeply worrying".
South Korean President Park
Geun-hye, said further analysis was needed to determine the nature of the test,
while calling it "a strong challenge to international peace and
stability".
In other reaction:
China, North Korea's main ally, said it
"firmly opposes" the test
Japan called it a "major threat" to its national security
The US said it
would "respond appropriately to any
and all North Korean provocations"
Russia warned the action could amount to
"a severe violation of
international law", calling for the resumption of talks
The EU urged
North Korea "cease this illegal and
dangerous behaviour''
NATO said North Korea should abandon
nuclear weapons
The International Atomic
Energy Agency said that, if confirmed, the test was "in clear violation of UN Security Council
resolutions and deeply regrettable"
The UN Security Council plans to hold an emergency meeting on
Wednesday.
Media caption North Koreans reacting to the news: "Developing a hydrogen bomb is inevitable"
The rhetoric from the North Korean media was spectacular, announcing
the country had carried out a "world
startling event" - the underground test of a hydrogen bomb.
"People of the DPRK are
making a giant stride, performing eye-catching miracles and exploits day by day,"
state media said.
But despite the rhetoric, outside
experts are sceptical about how much of a giant stride had been made.
What is not in doubt is the
determination of Pyongyang to go down the nuclear path despite widespread
condemnation the last time it tested a device.
North Korea's rhetoric
Suspicions first emerged when an
earthquake was registered near the Punggyeri nuclear site in North Korea at
10:00 Pyongyang time (01:30 GMT), with the tremors rattling Chinese border
cities.
Hours later, a newsreader on North
Korean state TV said: "The republic's first hydrogen bomb test has been
successfully performed at 10:00 am on January 6, 2016."
A note signed by North Korea
leader Kim Jong-un authorising the test said 2016 should begin with the
"stirring explosive sound" of a hydrogen bomb.
It could be days or weeks before
independent tests are able to verify or dismiss the recent claim.
Both China and Japan are reported
to have been trying to detect radiation.
North Korea carried out the first
of its three previous nuclear tests in 2006, making it one of the few
nuclear-armed nations on Earth.
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