North Korea Threatens to Test a Hydrogen Bomb Over the Pacific Ocean

Chinese geologists have warned North Korea that the consequences could be catastrophic if it conducts another test at the mountainous Punggye-ri nuclear facility, the South China Morning Post reports. 

North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test at the facility, situated roughly 50 miles from China's border, in early September. After the test, a senior Chinese nuclear scientist warned that another test could blow off the top of the mountain and lead to a massive collapse, which could allow radioactive waste to be blown across the border into China. This warning came as a North Korean delegation met with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Geology in Beijing on September 20. 

Pyongyang's September nuclear test was its most powerful yet. It was estimated to have a yield of 100 kilotons, which would make it roughly seven times as strong as the U.S. atomic bomb that decimated the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II in 1945.   Since the test, North Korea has threatened to test a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean, which could pose a huge risk to aircraft and shipping. During an interview t

 North Korea Threatens to Test a Hydrogen Bomb Over the Pacific Ocean

hat aired on CNN Wednesday, an official representing North Korea's government, Ri Yong Pil, told the U.S. it must take the North Korean test threat "literally."