Public opinion on the possibility of North Korea having a thermonuclear bomb

After the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted leader Kim Jong Un's statement that was said to imply that North Korea had developed a thermonuclear bomb (H-bomb), the US and some foreign experts expressed skepticism that Pyongyang possessed the technology needed to make this bomb.

During a visit to the Phyongchon Revolutionary Site in Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un (left and right, right) declared that North Korea is becoming "a powerful nuclear weapons state, ready to detonate self-made atomic bombs and H-bombs to firmly defend its sovereignty and national dignity." Photo: Yonhap/VNA

Speaking at a regular press briefing on December 10, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said that the information that North Korea had developed a hydrogen bomb was “truly suspicious”. However, Washington is concerned and will handle this issue carefully as well as other issues stemming from North Korea’s nuclear weapons development program. The US State Department also called on North Korea to comply with its international obligations and abandon its nuclear weapons program.

Earlier the same day, KCNA reported that during a visit to the Phyongchon revolutionary museum in the capital Pyongyang, leader Kim Jong Un declared that North Korea had become "a nuclear weapons power and is ready to detonate A-bombs and H-bombs on its own to firmly defend its sovereignty and national dignity."

North Korea has said its pursuit of nuclear weapons is a result of America's hostile policy toward the country.

According to British Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Peter Wilson, if there is evidence that North Korea possesses an H-bomb, the country will be considered a violation of UN resolutions and this will be reported to the Security Council. He also noted that Pyongyang has made similar statements in the past.

On the same day, Yonhap news agency quoted an official from the South Korean Intelligence Agency as saying that there is currently no evidence that Pyongyang has the ability to manufacture an H-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, persisted in efforts to ensure peace and stability in the region, and resolved issues through dialogue and consultation.

Foreign experts are also uncertain about the possibility that North Korea has developed an H-bomb. Expert Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, USA, said that at this point, it is unlikely that North Korea has an H-bomb, but if North Korea's claim of possessing an H-bomb is true, it proves that the country has made progress in its nuclear weapons development program.

Nuclear expert David Albright, head of the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington, said concerns have been raised in recent years that North Korea was developing a thermonuclear weapon, but he said developing such a device would require larger nuclear tests than North Korea has ever conducted.

According to VNA/Tin Tuc