This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35060035
The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Previous version
1
Next version
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
North Korea's Kim Jong-un 'in H-bomb claim' | North Korea's Kim Jong-un 'in H-bomb claim' |
(about 1 hour later) | |
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared to suggest his country possesses a hydrogen bomb, in comments published on state media. | North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared to suggest his country possesses a hydrogen bomb, in comments published on state media. |
The country was "ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb", KCNA quoted him as saying. | The country was "ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb", KCNA quoted him as saying. |
If true, the development would mark a significant advancement in North Korean nuclear capabilities. | If true, the development would mark a significant advancement in North Korean nuclear capabilities. |
But the claim has not been independently verified and has drawn scepticism from experts. | But the claim has not been independently verified and has drawn scepticism from experts. |
Mr Kim made the remarks as he inspected a historical military site in the capital Pyongyang. | Mr Kim made the remarks as he inspected a historical military site in the capital Pyongyang. |
The work of his grandfather Kim Il-sung had turned North Korea into a "powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation", he is quoted as saying. | The work of his grandfather Kim Il-sung had turned North Korea into a "powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation", he is quoted as saying. |
North Korea and nuclear weapons | |
October 2002: North Korea first acknowledges it has a secret nuclear weapons programme | |
October 2006: The first of three underground nuclear explosions is announced, at a test site called Punggye-ri | |
May 2009: A month after walking out of international talks on its nuclear programme, North Korea carries out its second underground nuclear test | |
February 2013: A third nuclear test takes place using what state media calls a "miniaturised and lighter nuclear device" | |
May 2015: Pyongyang claims to have tested a submarine-launched missile, which are more difficult to detect than conventional devices | |
While North Korea has made previous claims about its nuclear weapons capabilities this is thought to be its first reference to an H-bomb. | While North Korea has made previous claims about its nuclear weapons capabilities this is thought to be its first reference to an H-bomb. |
Such devices use fusion to create a blast far more powerful than a more basic atomic bomb. | Such devices use fusion to create a blast far more powerful than a more basic atomic bomb. |
North Korea has carried out three underground nuclear tests before, but experts cast doubt over the latest suggestions. | |
John Nilsson-Wright, Head of the Asia Programme at Chatham House, was sceptical, saying it fitted into a previous pattern of bold claims from the North Korean leader. | |
The comments were likely to be an "attention-grabbing effort to assert North Korean autonomy and his own political authority", he told the BBC. | The comments were likely to be an "attention-grabbing effort to assert North Korean autonomy and his own political authority", he told the BBC. |
"It's hard to regard North Korea as possessing an H-bomb," Lee Chun-geun, a research fellow at the Science and Technology Policy Institute in South Korea, told Yonhap. | |
But he added: "I think it seems to be developing it." | |
Independent observers are rarely allowed access to the secretive communist state, making verifying the authorities' claims difficult. | Independent observers are rarely allowed access to the secretive communist state, making verifying the authorities' claims difficult. |
Previous version
1
Next version