Agence France-Presse
Seoul, Dec 10: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has suggested his nuclear-armed state has developed a hydrogen bomb, a move that would signal a major step forward in its nuclear weapons capabilities. During a recent inspection tour of a historical military site, Kim mentioned that North Korea was already a “powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty”, the North’s official KCNA news agency said today.North Korea has already tested three atom bombs, which rely on nuclear fission. A hydrogen, or thermonuclear device, uses fusion in a chain reaction that results in a far more powerful explosion.
North Korea has hinted before at the possession of “stronger, more powerful” weapons, but Kim’s remarks were believed to be the first direct reference to an H-bomb.The North has made many unverifiable claims about its nuclear weapons strength, including the ability to strike the US mainland, which most experts dismiss — at least for now. A South Korean intelligence official said Kim’s claim was nothing more than “rhetoric” for domestic consumption. “We don’t have any information that North Korea has developed an H-bomb… and we do not believe that North Korea has the technology to produce an H-bomb,” the official told the Yonhap news agency.
In September, however, the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) had raised a red flag over what appeared to be a new “hot cell” facility under construction at the North Korea’s main Yongbyon nuclear complex. Analysts at the think tank said satellite images suggested it could be an isotope separation facility, capable of producing tritium.
