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North Korea says it has conducted H-bomb test

Posted at 10:48 PM, Jan 05, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-05 22:56:54-05
A man watches a news report at a railroad station in Seoul on January 6, 2015, after seismologists detected a 5.1 magnitude tremor next to North Korea's main atomic test site in the northeast of the country. North Korea said on January 6 it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test, marking a major step forward in its nuclear development if confirmed. AFP PHOTO / JUNG YEON-JE / AFP / JUNG YEON-JE (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

A man watches a news report at a railroad station in Seoul on January 6, 2015, after seismologists detected a 5.1 magnitude tremor next to North Korea’s main atomic test site in the northeast of the country. North Korea said on January 6 it had successfully carried out its first hydrogen bomb test, marking a major step forward in its nuclear development if confirmed. AFP PHOTO / JUNG YEON-JE / AFP / JUNG YEON-JE (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it has conducted a hydrogen bomb test. The surprise announcement that complicates already difficult efforts to curb the country’s push for a working nuclear arsenal.

The North said Wednesday in a broadcast that the test was successful. A hydrogen bomb is generally more powerful than a nuclear bomb.

North Korea has long pushed for an arsenal of warheads that can be mounted on a missile capable of reaching mainland America’s shores. North Korea is thought to have a handful of rudimentary nuclear bombs. But it is not yet thought to have succeeded.

South Korean officials earlier detected an “artificial earthquake” near North Korea’s main nuclear test site.

An H-bomb test will almost certainly lead to a push for new sanctions at the United Nations.