North Korea says it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb

(Image credit: Getty Images)

last updated 6 January 2016

Shortly after a 5.1 magnitude earthquake was detected in North Korea Wednesday, the country announced it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.

"If there's no invasion on our sovereignty, we will not use nuclear weapon," the state news agency said. "This H-bomb test brings us to a higher level of nuclear power." North Korea said the test took place at 10 a.m. local time in the northeastern part of the country. Earlier, officials in South Korea declared that the earthquake was "artificial," and the foreign ministry called an emergency meeting to discuss the possibility of a nuclear test.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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