North Korean Leader: We Are Ready to Produce Hydrogen Bombs

Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, has stated that his country is ready to produce hydrogen bombs. His remarks regarding the development of Pyongyang's military program towards hydrogen weapons have been deemed 'unprecedented.' Hydrogen bombs are significantly more powerful than single-stage atomic weapons. The largest of these, tested in 1961 in the Soviet Union, was 2500 times more powerful than the bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima at the end of World War II. The official North Korean news agency reported on December 10, quoting Kim Jong-un, 'We have become a country that possesses strong nuclear weapons capable of producing both atomic bombs (type A) and hydrogen bombs to defend our territorial integrity and the dignity of our nation.' South Korea's official news agency, Yonhap, described his comments about hydrogen bomb production as 'unprecedented.' Chang Yong-sak, a member of the Peace and Unification Studies Center at the National University in Seoul, told the news agency, 'Kim [Jong-un] has repeatedly mentioned that North Korea has atomic bombs, but this is the first time he has spoken about hydrogen bombs.' The North Korean leader has previously emphasized that his country possesses weapons 'stronger' than what is publicly known. Last September, analysts at the Korea and America Institute at Johns Hopkins University indicated signs that Pyongyang was in the process of producing plutonium to enhance its nuclear arsenal. At that time, the United States warned that North Korea should refrain from provocative actions. Two months ago, the reputable Center for International Security and Cooperation in Washington warned about the establishment of a new nuclear core at the 'Yongbyon' nuclear facility in that country. North Korea conducted two military nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009 through plutonium fission. The third nuclear test by North Korea took place in February 2013, which appears to have been through uranium fusion.