Nuclear security

North Korea says it has conducted a successful hydrogen bomb test

North Korea claimed Wednesday that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, a claim that, if true, would mark a huge step forward in its nuclear capability.

“We’ve carried out a hydrogen bomb test,” a newsreader on the state-run Korean Central Television station announced in a special broadcast from Pyongyang.

“North Korea was forced to develop its nuclear arsenal because of the U.S.’s hostile policy against North Korea,” she said. “However, as a peaceful nation and a nuclear powered-nation, North Korea will be a responsible state and will not use its nuclear power before [an attack] and will not transfer the technology to others.”