North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test this weekend, launching what they claim to be a hydrogen bomb capable of being launched inside a long-range missile.
The blast, which North Korea has called a “perfect success,” created a seismic disturbance of 6.3 on the Richter scale that shook buildings in Russia and China.
Early data suggests the test could very well have been a hydrogen bomb, but officials say we still don’t know exactly what type of missile it was.
“North Korea has conducted a major nuclear test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States,” tweeted President Trump on Sunday. “North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.”
North Korea has grown increasingly bold in recent months, conducting more frequent and more powerful missile tests as well as engaging in threatening dialogue with President Trump. In July, US officials said they believed North Korea capable of producing a missile that could hit the US mainland.
California Rep. Adam Schiff (D) calls this latest test a “grave threat to the United States and one that we will have to respond to.”
“It underscores the heightened importance to getting China to work with us more aggressively to cut off trade to North Korea,” said Schiff, adding that we should consider “secondary sanctions” on countries that continue to trade with North Korea.
On Sunday, Trump tweeted that the White House is considering “stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea.” That includes China, which is our largest trading partner.
Trump met with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Defense Secretary James Mattis to discuss potential military reactions to the nuclear test. When asked if he would respond to the test with a military attack, President Trump said, “We’ll see.”