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Sources: Yahoo! News, CNN

North Korea has officially confirmed that they had successfully tested a new nuclear bomb, the Hydrogen Bomb. This is the fourth nuclear test ever conducted by North Korea.

Last month, the North Koreans made claim of having a Hydrogen Bomb in their arsenal, but it wasn't until the 5.1 magnitude detected around their main nuclear test site, the same site where the 2006, the 2009, and the 2013 nuclear tests

Now with this in mind, what will this mean for North Korea and the world? Now that we know that North Korea has A and H bombs, along with functioning missiles, are they an even bigger threat? Will they change their aggressive behavior? Will we change how we respond to their actions?

Discuss, KYM.

They seem like the type of country that, if we did anything aggressive, they'd rage quite. What would they have to lose?

I say the first action would be to physically detach South Korea and move it somewhere further away from NK.
Really though, going to war with NK would hurt SK a lot from collateral damage.

Idk, what do you do?

Nowhere near a threat until they get an arsenal the size of a world power (and grow the balls to use them). The second a nuclear missile is detected launching from them they'll have like 50 million more coming their way.

NK does nothing but make empty threats and statements to only look big, like a puppy growling.

Would it not be hypocritical to tell other countries to lower their military while increasing ours?

How do you go about creating peace among countries, or are you a psychopath who thinks everyone is after you?

Why would it be crazy to say that NK is simply building a military for defense? They probably have more enemies than friends.

If the US builds military, it is for defense, but when NK builds military, all of a sudden it is an aggressive act? Why is that.

Why would it be crazy to say that NK is simply building a military for defense?

Have you seen Kim Jong Un, man?

Nuclear weapons aren't actually as strong as most people think they are. You need thousands of them to fullfill the M.A.D. (Mutual Assured Destruction) strategy, and North Korea is a bit poor on uranium and other resources.

Not to mention that a lot of countries have missle defense systems. There are two ways not to get your missle destroyed: 1) use tech that allows you to partially bypass the system, such as MIRV, or stealth bombers suited to carry nuclear arsenal or simply 2) have a lot of bombs and fire them at once.

Overall, even if they develop multiple hydrogen bombs, the combined yeld will not be enough to militarily destroy the other country, thus ending with absolute anihilation of North Korea and possibly (if they manage to get around the defense systems, which I doubt) civilian casualities, in hundrends of thousands.

Oh, and also. South Korea is the only viable target. They are close, so shooting down the missles would be hard. All of the other countries are in a considerable distance away and would be able to detect the strike before it makes an impact.

Not to mention that a lot of countries have missle defense systems.

None of which are designed to handle intercontinental ballistic missiles that travel at suborbital velocities and are aimed at strategic targets… which NK admittedly lacks, but still.

Okay, this mentality is really illogical and doesn't have a basis in reality, and here's why. The United States, despite its flaws, has never shown the willingness to cause as much harm as these smaller nations. The US has gone to war with other nations, but it's never tried to systematically kill them based on genetics and a pseudo-religious belief system, or a full on religious belief system. The United States has also not engaged in genocidal tendencies, ethnic cleansing, military annexations, nor authoritarian control of the state and people for a good number of decades now, the same decades as most of the western world. The United States has also possessed a powerful military as well as a nuclear arsenal, but we haven't used them to enslave our neighbors nor to reign death on entire countries to wipe them from the face of the earth. Even as bad as Vietnam got, the response to it was viscous and the government backed down to it's own domestic and abroad pressure, rather then say just setting off nuclear bombs in a scorched earth tactic.

Now, can you really make the same claim for North Korea? The same country, mind you, who still practices slavery?

Now, beyond the mere superficial of you comparing apples to a hornets nest for why having a bunch of one is good and a bunch of the other is bad, let's break down the crux of your argument.

People shouldn't have superior force to enforce peace, and doing so makes you a psychopath. Okay, then answer me this? Do you know how law enforcement works? Because that's exactly how law enforcement works.

The state empowers an organization, usually the police, with the ability to use things such as deadly force, and outlaws the use of deadly force for everyone else to use. They also then empower the same organization, or a different organization, with the ability to determine how the law is used, and whether to preform acts such as detaining someone against their will, which would be illegal for anyone not part of this organization to do. The way this system is enforced is via the threat of force, or the implied use of force when force is used against the state's say so.

Why is it that you think police officers are given guns as part of their equipment? Why do you think judges can sentence people to things, even death, without going to jail themselves for murder? The state decides what organization gets to do things, and which organizations or individuals do not, and this is enforced by the state having the ability to use deadly force.

According to your own logic, these individuals would be psychopathic for believing that they need to use violence and an arsenal to enforce the law. That they should focus on reducing their arsenals to get rid of their guns because everyone else doesn't get to have guns. And that any police officer with a gun is as big a threat as say a gang member wielding a gun.

In a way the United States is the closet thing to a police force the world has ever had, certainly more so then the UN which has watched millions die in cold blood and decided to do nothing about it routinely.

So the reason the US increasing its military is defense while NK raising its military is a sign of hostility? Because the US is like the police officer, and NK is like the crazy racist raving about having an assault rifle, threatening to hold their neighbor hostage if they don't get their demands.

I think if you had a front row seat for NK's wrath, you'd be hoping the police officer had a gun, and didn't simply have a book of encouraging phrases and reprimands to issue out for NK to sign.

{ Would it not be hypocritical to tell other countries to lower their military while increasing ours? }

We have international contractual obligations to be in those areas for this exact reason. We were the deterrence. Now there is none and the whole place is going apeshit. It's like absolutely none of you took a world history class in high school.

{ Why would it be crazy to say that NK is simply building a military for defense? They probably have more enemies than friends. }

Oh my god, are you serious, and people upvoted you for this ignorant ass bullshit?? idk, why might it be crazy to say the totalitarian dictatorship which continues to commit some of the most atrocious human rights violations since the designation of human rights, which has always prescribed to a military-first policy and has a rich history of sponsoring terrorism is simply building a military for defense?? What exactly do you think goes on in North Korea, and on what basis do you believe they should be allowed to have a military at all, let alone be actively expanding? The country that has ratified and then disregarded and obliterated every UN treaty in regards to human rights with no repercussions? This is the poor innocent country that just wants a chance to defend itself so the big mean West can't stomp on them?? Are you high?

I think Kim Jong Un thinks if North Korea obtains a Nuclear Arsenal, it too will be a Super Power, not realizing that's not how it works.

Not necessarily. The only reason North Korea is crazy on nukes is because they know they can't match the South Korea (even without US support) conventionally. If they felt they could win against or at least stand a fair change in a conventional war they would invest the money on tanks instead of nukes.

That being said, South Korea has one or two important targets: Seoul and Pusan. If they nuke Seoul not only they destroy SK's central transportation and bureaucratic system but also blow away a large chunk of SK's reserves (Majority of SK's military are reservists, ~650k active and ~ 4.5 million reserves).

Does Kim Jong Un not realize that launching a nuke at South Korea means the end of North Korea? If we don't immediately nuke it, we would send 50 trillion dollars worth of military to bite their head off.

North Korea says it has the 'H-bomb of justice' after tests

lmao.

Using it is not the only thing a nation can do with a nuclear arsenal, or growing collection of H-bombs of justice. They don't have to launch it, all the surrounding countries are very nervous that they have it and the capability to produce more. NK was openly funding terrorism and here recently the political pressure is on to put them back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Maybe NK doesn't personally use the bomb, maybe they cash in and take some of that oil money off ISIS' hands in exchange? The Kim family is VERY into money.

Plus, if NK falls back into extreme political chaos, it's a blind bag who ends up with the goods and what kind of mood they're in. Maybe a group that doesn't particularly mind going down in a nuclear firestorm?

The United States has also not engaged in genocidal tendencies, ethnic cleansing, military annexations, nor authoritarian control of the state and people for a good number of decades now, the same decades as most of the western world.

Nope they just put Native Americans in reservations, put Japanese people in concentration camps, gave rights to black people later than a lot of other countries and if you just want to go modern the US currently has their police force undergoing quite an intense amount of militarization. Calling them flaws seems a bit of an understatement.

Not to say America is as bad as NK, it's really not the same and North Korea definitely is becoming or at least trying to become more powerful and threatening. But it's ironic that a country that pride's itself on the individuals against a massive oppressive force, now wants to become that exact thing by being "the closest thing to the worlds police force".

Why is it that you think police officers are given guns as part of their equipment? Why do you think judges can sentence people to things, even death, without going to jail themselves for murder? The state decides what organization gets to do things, and which organizations or individuals do not, and this is enforced by the state having the ability to use deadly force.

Funny how many countries operate without their police being armed, don't have the ability to sentence civilians to death. They still have authority and a threat of force over those wishing to commit criminal activities, but they don't have enough to really make civilians powerless and there is ways that are enforced so that they do not abuse the power given to them. That's really the whole point. We certainly don't trust Kim Jong to use his power well, but we don't really trust anyone to be this world police, especially not the country which has its own severe problems and in its short history has been just as or more barbaric as any other. I think it's more of an issue all nations should tackle.

Anyway do I consider NK a threat to me? Like most people, not really. Most others have said what I would have on the matter.

I mean, say what you want about past atrocities Spider-Byte but unfortunately we live in an era where that sort of genocide could easily have wider reaching implications. The biggest problem with a nuclear strike is the counterattack, which can easily escalate the situation and take many many MANY more lives than any single genocide ever has.

I don't think any of the missiles or bombs in the N.K arsenal can reach America.

But they can reach South Korea and Japan, which are important US Allies.

North Korea has officially confirmed that they had successfully tested a new nuclear bomb, the Hydrogen Bomb.

…I bet they did.

Meanwhile, from countries I don't expect to lie about their nuclear claims, didn't South Korea say they doubted it was actually a hydrogen bomb?

It could, and likely was, some nuclear test, but it probably wasn't something that would be a great threat to the world by itself. If they launched it without support from other, organized countries, North Korea would be reduced to ash the next day by most of the Western world and chunks of the East. And I don't expect that any other countries with notable clout or resources to sustain a war would even bother.

And I don't suspect ISIS exists in a capacity to do more than launch random attacks. Should NK collaborate with such an entity, you'd end up with similar results. North Korea would be reduced to ash the next day, and ISIS would be ruined from a show of sheer force from having most of the world's powers actively…actively…looking for its leaders and supporters. And I don't expect its violent ideologies to hold up. ISIS can do terrorism, but it can't do a war. And not many humans, compared to armies, are going to battle into certain suicide once it appears that the ideology is being shot down. Literally. That will be the case should ISIS begin to go nuclear.

Let's remember that history, what some are claiming, tends to highlight the winners. For every upstart that succeeded, there are uncountable numbers of those who simply lost and were not remembered by those same historical textbooks. There are tons of violent and oppressive ideologies that were once world threats that simply never existed or sustained itself beyond a decade or two.

Keep it up, Kim, and the Koreas will be unified, just not in the way you were planning.

Have you seen Trump, the guy who has a strong possibility of becoming president? No wonder everyone is increasing their military. If you heard Trump might be becoming president, would you increase your defense?

id ban him out of my country

Anyways I don't think that NK even gives a shit about Donald Trump. NK has literally hated the US for decades now because of the outcome of the Korean War. Kimmy doesn't care, he paints the west with the same brush anyways. Donald Trump is just another one to add to the ever growing roster of "I HATE AMERICANS".

@twisty – I think this is sufficient evidence to suggest that an H bomb probably did go off. It really does make me wonder how they're funding this program though…

Honestly, I think it is a very empty threat because literally their only ally is China, and even they don't want to go to war because they have a huge stake in the world economy. Just because you have nuclear weapons doesn't necessarily mean you somehow win every war ever.

The reason why atomic weapons closed WWII was due to the fact that the US pretty much was the only country that had weapons with such destructive potential. I'm fairly certain North Korean nukes are not even close to being as powerful as the ones we have today. That doesn't include missile defense systems either. To say North Korea threatening any country (especially South Korea) is akin to suicide is an understatement.

Making a hydrogen bomb is basically an upgrade of making an atom bomb, and also much more difficult than making an atom bomb, and even the latter NK hasn't created succesfully yet.

Calling bluff.

Inevitably NK has to do something. The old guard who've been promised a war with the west and a reunification of Korea for decades now are dying from old age. Not too long ago the NK military had to lower it's height requirement again due to such a large malnourished population being stunted at growth.

Their only "ally" is China, and that is more or less out of historic reasons than practical as I sincerely doubt any war with NK would probably not trigger China to join in (China is economically incapable of waging a war – especially if the belligerents happens to be it's customers.)

The FEAR however is this: NK has shifted a majority of their troops to the demilitarized zone.

And the reality is, if NK does invade South Korea, they will take Seoul in two days. It is only what, 50-60 miles from the border? And if they capture, or decimate Seoul there goes a good chunk of the South Korean economy. It would take several days for the logistical support from SK and the West to assemble an effective defense, but the damage would be devastating to the South Korean economy, and global economy as well.

Is NK ready for that attempt? The way the perceive the west, the way they've convinced themselves about the west…I wouldn't be particularly surprised if they were.

Very true, not only it'll warrant an immediate global response, China will be forced to turn its back on NK as well.

I was thinking more of Kim going "fuck it" and do a all or nothing push on South Korea. Nuking Seoul and damaging SK's transportation hub and large chunk of its reservists and using the chaos to storm the DMZ might give them a better chance than waiting for the "inevitable US invasion" or a regular North Korean invasion.

@Chowybunny

NK cannot take Seoul at all, let alone in two days. They'll be advancing through mountainous/hilly terrain littered forests, tank traps and fortifications. DPRK have to face off against a better equipped military with total air dominance. NK's only solace is their nuke.

@Black Graphic T

Something tells me you will defend the United States no matter what it does.

The United States, despite its flaws, has never shown the willingness to cause as much harm as these smaller nations.

I don't see how you can seriously use this as an argument in this situation, because even if that is true it does not mean the United States made military actions that are completely good. Imagine if some mad dictator killed more people than stalin and hitler combined, would you seriously imply that stalin and hitler are good because someone did more than them?

Do you know how law enforcement works? Because that’s exactly how law enforcement works.

We know during the Iraq war that the United States does a terrible job of being the world police with countless civilian deaths even to this day (obama's drones). And because it does a terrible job it should not be the world's police. I am not implying that a country like NK should, but it definitely should not be the United States.

According to your own logic, these individuals would be psychopathic for believing that they need to use violence and an arsenal to enforce the law.

No one is a psychopath for acting in self-defence but at the same time no nation deserves to declare itself as the "world police". It would make sense if a nation aided another nation as it's ally in self-defence, like how the US aided the Mujahideen against soviet forces in 1980s Afghanistan. But actions like the Iraq War are completely unjustified invasions.

Doesn't the US have massive networks capable of detecting nuclear detonations?

Praying this is a lie.
Last thing we need is more of those hellspawn weapons popping up. World would be better off without the constant threat of one of these dropping.

No it wouldn't.
Mutually assured destruction is the only reason major nations like the USA and Russia didn't engage in warfare during the cold war. It is very likely Europe would have been embroiled in WW3 had it not been for the threat of total annihilation.

The only time nuclear deterrents fail is when the people who own them don't fear their own deaths. North Korea although crazy and fucked up, doesn't seem to have any desire to die, even against the South Koreans.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. They're desperate enough that they're starting to sell their own people into slavery for other nations. As in, forced labor for other countries that sees the workers paid nothing and has their lives tightly controlled and monitored.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/15/asia/north-korean-foreign-workers/

They might just be desperate that if push came to shove, they might try a conventional invasion with the threat of bombing whatever south korean territory they claim to deter a counter measure.

Don't know how well it'd work, but desperation is one hell of a motivator for stupid actions.

Looks like they want more money/food. They do this every few years so we don't forget how impoverished and desperate their oppressed populace is.

They also don't actually have an H-Bomb. The yield was estimated to be less than their previous non-H test. Most think they just threw in some hydrogen isotopes and called it a "hydrogen bomb." Neither India nor Pakistan have been able to develop one and they have orders of magnitude more resources and experts to do it.

"hey, but that's still a hydrogen bomb!"

I wonder how pissed he is that the US beat him to the name "fat man"

The United States conducted it's first H bomb test in 1952. That puts North Korea behind by 54 years. We've had enough time to do it. As for a motivation to create a sort of countermeasure, the U.S. seriously believed that the Soviet Union could possibly declare outright war any day during the worst parts of the Cold War, and by then we were aware that they had developed nuclear bombs.
I think the U.S. is prepared for an H bomb.
I'd be more worried about top secret, geneva-convention-breaking things that could possibly exist. I admit it's unlikely, but it's possible. For example, if you were insane enough to incubate a deadly airborne disease and keep dosing it with an antibiotic from trace amounts to full throttle and allowing the survivors to breed, and repetead this until it was immune to every antibiotic known today, well, that would be BAD. Coincidentally, that's happening in the real world, at a much slower rate, 'cause of evolution.

Maybe Kim Jong Un was visiting the test site and had a fart, a fart so massive it was detectable by sensor.
Last time I check fart also consists of hydrogen.

To detach south korea, all you need is a saw

It worked for Florida…

I try not to have my jummy's rustled often, but thwt shitty white knigting post for north korea being still upvoted is really starting to piss me off.