Why North Korea threatened to test an H-bomb in the Pacific

After US President Donald Trump threatened to destroy North Korea, Pyongyang has raised the possibility of testing a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean. Many newspapers have quoted experts' analysis of this latest warning from Pyongyang.

Speaking in New York on September 22, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said Pyongyang could consider testing a hydrogen bomb on an unprecedented scale in the Pacific Ocean. Japan, the only country ever devastated by a nuclear bomb, called Mr. Ri's threat "completely unacceptable."

Leader Kim Jong-un watches the launch of the Hwasong-12 missile. Photo: Reuters

Threat implied?

In the event that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un orders a nuclear detonation in the Pacific, there are two mechanisms for such a test. One is for Kim Jong-un to show off to the world his nuclear device, and the other is to show off his hydrogen bomb capabilities.

Researcher Yang Uk at the Korea Defense and Security Forum in Seoul assessed: "North Korea can launch Hwasong-12 or Hwasong-14 missiles carrying nuclear warheads and then detonate them at an altitude of several hundred kilometers over the Pacific Ocean."

Reuters news agency (UK) quoted researcher Melissa Hanham at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (USA) as saying: "North Korea said Pacific Ocean, which means launching a missile over Japan."

On August 29 and September 15, North Korea launched missiles that flew over Japanese territory, causing experts to assess that Pyongyang had made new progress.

According to BBC (UK), in the prospect of witnessing North Korea turn words into actions in the Pacific, President Trump will be forced to accept what Pyongyang has always claimed to be a nuclear state. The current ballistic missile defense system of the US and Japan is unlikely to be able to prevent such a test by North Korea.

North Korea's ability to do it?

North Korea has been working tirelessly to develop missiles that can be tipped with nuclear warheads and reach the United States and its allies.

When asked when we can know for sure that North Korea possesses nuclear-tipped missiles, Jeffrey Lewis, an expert at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, told CNN: “You will see a giant flash of light.”

Mr. Lewis agrees with most experts that we will only know for sure when North Korea does this.

The US military, meanwhile, is operating on the assessment that North Korea has achieved this capability.

“I know there is some debate about Pyongyang’s progress in miniaturizing nuclear warheads,” Admiral Harry Harris, commander of the US Pacific Command, said in a speech in June. “But even tonight, Pacific Command has to be ready to fight. I have to assume that Kim Jong-un’s statement is true.”

What are the possible consequences?

The danger from a North Korean hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific Ocean could be enormous. Civilian aviation and shipping in the target area could be severely affected because North Korea often does not give warning before launching missiles or conducting nuclear tests.

Furthermore, the environmental impact is also expected to be catastrophic.

In addition, in the event of a technical failure and a North Korean thermonuclear bomb falling on Japanese territory or detonating too early, nuclear war would likely ensue.

BBC assessed that North Korea may not use a missile for the Pacific test, but instead send a ship to carry a nuclear device and detonate it. However, using a ship carries a higher risk of being detected by US intelligence.

Does North Korea recognize the red line?

BBC assessed that through North Korea's previous missile and nuclear tests, it can be seen that this country is aware of the existence of "red lines". For example, after the nuclear test, North Korea emphasized that it did not cause damage to the environment, this is considered a "responsible" gesture.

Since 1984, North Korea has conducted more than 150 nuclear and missile tests, more than half of which occurred between 2011 and now, when Kim Jong-un began assuming the leadership of North Korea./.

According to Tin Tuc Newspaper