North Korea holds banquet to celebrate successful thermonuclear bomb test

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continues to host a banquet for top scientists and senior officials to celebrate the successful test of a hydrogen bomb, after a celebration in the main square of the capital Pyongyang.

Leader Kim Jong Un with leading North Korean scientists - Photo: KCNA

North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported that on the occasion of North Korea's National Day, leader Kim Jong Un held a banquet to welcome top nuclear scientists as well as party and military leaders who contributed to the success of the nuclear bomb test on September 3.

KCNA did not say exactly when the banquet was held, but according to analysts from Reuters news agency, the party was held on September 9.

KCNA quoted Mr. Kim Jong Un at the party: "The recent thermonuclear bomb test marked a great victory for the Korean people, paid for with blood; we must tighten our belts during the recent difficult period."

Leader Kim Jong Un applauds at the party - Photo: KCNA

In a series of photos provided by KCNA of the banquet, there is a photo of Kim Jong Un posing with two of North Korea's top nuclear scientists, Ri Hong Sop, director of the North Korean Nuclear Weapons Institute, and Hong Sung Mu, deputy director of the North Korean Munitions Industry Bureau.

According to Reuters, Ri and Hong are two key figures in all of North Korea's nuclear programs, always appearing next to leader Kim Jong Un during inspections or weapons tests.

Ri was the director of the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center, North Korea's main nuclear facility, located north of the capital Pyongyang. Hong was also a chief engineer at Yongbyon.

Leader Kim Jong Un at the banquet - Photo: KCNA

Map of North Korea's Nuclear Facilities - Source: Middlebury Institute of International Studies, American Geophysical Research Institute.

Up to this point, there is still no official information confirming whether North Korea actually possesses a thermonuclear bomb or not.

Reuters news agency reported that some experts said that the bomb test on September 3 in North Korea, which caused a 6.3-magnitude earthquake, showed that if North Korea does not possess a thermonuclear bomb, it is at least close to success.

According to tuoitre.vn