 The U.S. Congressional Research Service has dismissed North Korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb earlier this month, describing it instead as a "boosted fission weapon" or simply a "conventional nuclear bomb."
Many experts have expressed doubt that the North has the technology to make an H-bomb, which would be much more powerful than a conventional nuclear bomb. They base their assessment on the lower-frequency seismic waves emitted by the test, the CRS said in a report.
"Another possibility discussed by technical experts is that the Jan. 6 test was a 'boosted' fission weapon," it added. "Generally, countries would test a boosted fission weapon as the next step after testing fission weapons, on the path to developing a hydrogen bomb."
James Syring of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency also said in a lecture at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Tuesday that Washington believes that North Korea's technological capabilities have not improved, so there has been no change in the U.S. missile defense program. |