The US has dismissed a suggestion by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that his country possesses a hydrogen bomb. Mr Kim made the remarks as he inspected a historical military site in the capital Pyongyang.
He was quoted as saying that the work of his grandfather Kim Il-sung had turned North Korea into a powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate a self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation.
If true, the development would mark a significant advancement in North Korean nuclear capabilities. But White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Washington’s evidence calls into serious question Pyongyang’s claim.
He added that US take very seriously the risk and the threat that is posed by the North Korean regime in their ambitions to develop a nuclear weapon.