North Korean Foreign Minister Announces Possibility of Hydrogen Bomb Test

Following a threat from Donald Trump, the President of the United States, against North Korea during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho stated on Friday that his country might conduct a hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean. According to CNN, Ri Yong-ho told reporters in New York that Pyongyang may respond to Trump's threat by testing a nuclear missile in the region. He claimed, 'This will probably be the strongest hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific.' The North Korean Foreign Minister also mentioned, 'I really don't know what steps will be taken because those actions are up to Kim Jong-un [the leader of North Korea].' Previously, on September 3, North Korea announced the test of a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted on missile warheads, which Pyongyang claimed was the strongest nuclear bomb tested by the country. In a speech on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly, Donald Trump threatened that if Pyongyang did not cease its nuclear activities, 'we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.' Kim Jong-un also criticized Trump's speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday, stating that he would pay a heavy price for threatening North Korea with 'total destruction.' The North Korean leader further remarked, 'It is unclear what Trump expected when he made these remarks, but he will face results beyond his expectations.' Kim Jong-un continued in a derogatory tone, 'I will surely tame the mentally deranged US President with fire.' The text of Kim Jong-un's speech was written in the first person, and according to the North Korean government, this is the first time a leader from the country has released a message in the first person directly from himself. Meanwhile, Donald Trump tweeted early Friday that 'Kim Jong-un of North Korea, who is obviously mad and someone who has no qualms about starving and killing his own people, will be tested like never before.' Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, warned world leaders on Tuesday that the risk of nuclear attack is at its highest since the end of the Cold War and that 'fiery rhetoric can lead to deadly misunderstandings.' Tensions over North Korea's nuclear program and missile tests have escalated in recent weeks. Despite the pressure from global powers, North Korea continues its missile and nuclear programs. Missile tests by Pyongyang in the vicinity of Japan and South Korea, two US allies, and Trump's increasingly harsh responses, which have in turn faced even stronger reactions from North Korea, have exacerbated these tensions. A new round of UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea was approved on September 11.