Public opinion on the possibility of North Korea possessing a hydrogen bomb.

After the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted leader Kim Jong Un as saying that North Korea had developed a thermonuclear bomb (H-bomb), the US and some foreign experts expressed skepticism about Pyongyang's ability to possess the necessary technology to build such a bomb.

During a visit to the Phyongchon Revolutionary historical site in Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un (pictured left and right) declared that North Korea is becoming "a powerful nuclear-armed nation, ready to detonate its domestically produced atomic and hydrogen bombs to firmly defend its national sovereignty and dignity." (Photo: Yonhap/VNA)

Speaking at a regular press briefing on December 10, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that reports of North Korea developing a hydrogen bomb were "really questionable." However, Washington is concerned and will handle this issue, as well as other issues stemming from North Korea's nuclear weapons program, with caution. The U.S. State Department also called on North Korea to comply with its international obligations and abandon its nuclear weapons program.

Earlier that day, KCNA reported that during a visit to the Phyongchon Revolutionary Museum in Pyongyang, leader Kim Jong Un declared that North Korea had become "a nuclear weapons power and is ready to independently detonate atomic and hydrogen bombs to firmly defend its national sovereignty and dignity."

North Korea has previously stated that its pursuit of nuclear weapons development is a result of the United States' hostile policy toward the country.

According to Peter Wilson, the UK's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations, if there is evidence that North Korea possesses a hydrogen bomb, it would be considered a violation of UN resolutions and this would be reported to the Security Council. He also noted that Pyongyang has made similar claims in the past.

On the same day, Yonhap news agency quoted an official from the South Korean intelligence agency as saying that there was currently no evidence to suggest that Pyongyang had the capability to manufacture a hydrogen bomb.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying called on all relevant parties to make constructive efforts for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and contribute to the early resumption of the six-party talks. Hua Chunying stated that China has always supported the path of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, persistently striving to ensure peace and stability in the region, and resolving issues through dialogue and consultation.

Foreign experts are also uncertain about the possibility that North Korea has developed a hydrogen bomb. Jeffrey Lewis, an expert at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, USA, believes that at this point, it is not certain that North Korea possesses a hydrogen bomb, but if North Korea's claim of possessing a hydrogen bomb is true, it would indicate that the country has made progress in its nuclear weapons development program.

According to nuclear expert David Albright, head of the Institute for International Security and Science in Washington, concerns have emerged in recent years that North Korea is developing thermonuclear weapons, but he argues that developing such a device would require nuclear tests larger than those North Korea has previously conducted.

According to VNA/News