How powerful is North Korea's 'sixth nuclear bomb'?

(Baonghean.vn) - According to the head of the CommitteeThe South Korean National Assembly's defense committee said on September 3 that North Korea's sixth nuclear test was estimated to have an explosive yield of up to 100 kilotons, or 4-5 times more powerful than the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in 1945.

Kim Young-woo, head of the South Korean National Assembly's defense committee, speaks at an event in Seoul on August 2. Photo: Yonhap

Citing military officials, Mr. Kim Young-woo affirmed that the destructive power of North Korea's 6th nuclear test (if any) on September 3 seemed much stronger than the 5th test - which was estimated to have an explosive equivalent of 10 kilotons, with 1 kiloton equivalent to 1,000 tons of TNT.

“North Korea’s latest test had a yield of 100 kilotons, although this is only a provisional report,” Kim told South Korea’s Yonhap news agency by phone. “The test will be a very important political and strategic point of contention.”

Mr. Kim also pointed out the urgency for the administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in to decide whether to continue following the peace initiative of seeking to re-engage with North Korea through sanctions and dialogue.

Earlier, on the morning of September 3, the South Korean Meteorological Administration detected a 5.7-magnitude earthquake at North Korea's nuclear test site, Pyunggye-ri - seemingly a sign of another strategic provocation, according to Yonhap. South Korean intelligence officials previously confirmed that Pyongyang appeared to be ready to conduct a new nuclear test.

Pyongyang has conducted previous nuclear tests in 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2016.

Thu Giang

(According to Yonhap)