North Korean scientists claim to have built an advanced hydrogen bomb that can be mounted on an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), according to state-run media reports.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) says the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was present at the Nuclear Weapons Institute and viewed as the nuclear weapon was loaded onto a missile.
The bomb reportedly has an explosive power that is adjustable up to "hundreds" of kilotons and can be detonated at high altitudes with its indigenously produced components allowing the country to build as many nuclear weapons as it wants, according to KCNA.
North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test in September 2016, possibly its biggest detonation ever, leading to a new round of UN sanctions last month, that aimed to impede the country's ability to further develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Other tests took place in 2006, 2009, 2013, and January 2016, which reportedly was a successful hydrogen bomb test, though foreign experts have doubted those claims.
The latest development comes amid heightened tensions between Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, leading Trump to speak with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday to discuss the escalating threats from North Korea.
Last week North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan in defiance of those previously mentioned UN resolutions and new sanctions which are expected to slash its export revenues by a third.
North Korea's claims cannot be independently verified, but foreign observers believe that North Korea could stage a sixth nuclear test on or ahead of a major holiday on September 9, when North Korea celebrates the Day of the Foundation of the Republic.
