North Korean Leader Claims That His Country Now Has The Hydrogen Bomb

BBC: North Korea's Kim Jong-un 'in H-bomb claim'

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared to suggest his country possesses a hydrogen bomb, in comments published on state media.

The country was "ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb", KCNA quoted him as saying.

If true, the development would mark a significant advancement in North Korean nuclear capabilities.

But the claim has not been independently verified and has drawn scepticism from experts.

Mr Kim made the remarks as he inspected a historical military site in the capital Pyongyang.

WNU Editor: I am very sceptical of these claims. It was in the early 1990s that I attended a lecture of a Nobel laureate in Physics at McGill University (sorry .... I cannot exactly remember his name but I think it was Hans Bethe), and he answered a question on how difficult is it to build a hydrogen bomb (not an atomic bomb). His answer .... and he is someone who worked on the Manhattan Project .... is that while there are thousands who understand what is necessary to put an atomic bomb together, for a hydrogen bomb that expertise is only limited to a few hundred individuals. Does North Korea have in its scientific ranks an Edward Teller or Andrei Sakharov .... I do not know. But if I was a betting man .... I would say no.

More News On North Korean Leader's Claims That His Country Now Has The Hydrogen Bomb

North Korean leader Kim's H-bomb claim draws scepticism -- Reuters
North Korea hints it has a hydrogen bomb, but skepticism abounds -- Washington Post
Experts Are Skeptical Of North Korea's Claim That It Has An H-Bomb -- NPR
Kim Jong Un: North Korea has hydrogen bomb -- UPI
North Korea's Kim Jong Un Claims Country Has Hydrogen Bomb -- NBC
North Korea claims it has hydrogen bomb; experts skeptical -- CNN
Kim Jong Un Says North Korea Now Equipped With Hydrogen Bombs: Report -- IBTimes
Kim Jong Un Claims North Korea Has Hydrogen Bomb -- Time
Kim Jong Un claims North Korea has a hydrogen bomb -- FOX News/SKY News
Kim Jong Un Claims North Korea Has Hydrogen Bomb -- Huffington Post
Kim Jong-un Says North Korea Has an H-Bomb — But No One Believes Him -- Reuters and VICE News