Last week’s claims of a successful testing of the hydrogen bomb by the North Korean authorities have further underscored the risk posed by the reclusive regime to regional and global peace and security. While the claims are still being subjected to independent verification, the announcement has understandably triggered global tensions, amidst the unprecedented high levels of insecurity already being witnessed as a result of the terror war in the Middle East and other parts of the world.
Global concerns have been heightened mainly because of the erratic disposition of the authorities in the highly impoverished hermit country that has elevated the arms race to the level of an obsession. The world is rightly alarmed that the hydrogen bomb in the hands of North Korea could find its way to other rogue nations and non-state actors, who may not hesitate to put it to use.
In a world still reeling from the unprecedented devastation caused by the atomic bomb when it was dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki more than 70 years ago, it is doubtful if anybody will be willing to welcome another nuclear war, this time spearheaded by the hydrogen bomb. As destructive as the atomic bomb is known to be, the hydrogen bomb, also known as the thermonuclear bomb, is hundreds of times more devastating. It is energised by nuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes, deuterium and tritium, unlike the atomic bomb which derives its energy from fission.
It is being speculated that North Korea, which has defied the rest of the world by previously carrying out three nuclear tests, could have tested an enhanced or boosted nuclear weapon, instead of a hydrogen bomb. Although it was reported that a 5.1 magnitude tremor was recorded by the United States Geological Survey, North Korea’s neighbours and chief supporter, China, and the other half of the Korean Peninsula have yet to report an unusual rise in radiation levels to confirm the veracity of Pyongyang’s claims.
