Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

North Korea hydrogen bomb test: USA, India and Russia could all be reached by country's missiles

If North Korea's claim to have developed and successfully a hydrogen bomb is true, it could threaten large swathes of the biggest superpowers in the world

Andrew Griffin
Wednesday 06 January 2016 06:41 EST
Comments
North Korea technicians watch live images of the rocket Unah-3 at the satellite control room of the space center on the outskirts of Pyongyang on April 11, 2012
North Korea technicians watch live images of the rocket Unah-3 at the satellite control room of the space center on the outskirts of Pyongyang on April 11, 2012 (PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/GettyImages)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Many of the world's superpowers could be reached by North Korea's proclaimed hydrogen bomb, according to estimates of the country's firepower.

Parts of the US, India, China Russia and Japan could all be reached by the country's missiles, research by Statista has shown. The country is thought to have a range of missiles, including one known as Taepodong-2 that can fire as far as 6,000km.

Firing a hydrogen bomb over such a distance could mean that it could reach Alaska, much of the east of Russia and large parts of China.

North Korea's claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb have been cast into doubt by some experts. And there is presumably still work to do before North Korea could successfully send out such a warhead on a functioning rocket, and have it successfully detonate.

But even without the threat of attack, the announcement is likely to worry those countries within range of the attacks. The launch was announced with a statement that included threats by North Korea against some of the countries that oppose it, and a spokesperson referred to the weapon as the first "H-bomb of justice".

China and Russia have joined countries like the US in condemning the test, despite having previously shown support for the country.

The international community is concerned about North Korea's claims to have developed a hydrogen bomb because they are so much more powerful than the atomic bombs that the country has claimed to have tested before.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in