N.Korea shows off new ‘H-bomb’

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL

North Korea continued to flex its muscles Sunday, as state media boasted of a “more developed” hydrogen bomb that can be launched using its recently tested intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Leader Kim Jong-un was seen inspecting a warhead in images released by KCNA news agency, which claimed the North can produce as many “powerful nuclear weapons” as it wants.

Pyongyang previously reported steady progress in its aim to build a destructive arsenal capable of reaching the United States mainland. It announced a successful H-bomb test last year before testing ICBMs for the first time in July.

While North Korea watchers debate how far the reclusive nation’s technology has actually come, Pyongyang regularly tests its nuclear weapon capabilities in defiance of the UN Security Council – which strengthened sanctions and issued a statement of condemnation last month.

The KCNA dispatch insisted the North has “further upgraded its technical performance at a higher ultra-modern level on the basis of precious successes made in the first H-bomb test” – and the new weapon can apparently even be detonated at high altitudes for an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) attack.

Amid suspicions that Pyongyang may be accessing weapons expertise from abroad, the report also emphasized that “all components of the H-bomb were homemade.”