Nothing is for certain with North Korea these days, but one thing remains very clear: the communist nation under Kim Jong Un’s dangerous leadership is gearing up to do damage.
North Korea recently test launched two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that could carry serious warheads, and some say those ICBMs could reach as far as Chicago, New York City or Washington, D.C.
And this week, it was reported that North Korea could be working on a hydrogen bomb, or H-bomb, and that it could be completed in six to 18 months.
Such a weapon would be more powerful than the atomic bombs the United States dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, ending World War II. An H-bomb is about 1,000 times more powerful than an atomic bomb, and far more explosive.
(Twitter)
This speculation comes from an anonymous U.S. Defense Department official who recently spoke to Fox News.
An H-bomb would cause serious destruction.
“If U.S. missile defenses failed to stop a North Korean H-bomb from landing in our nation’s capital, it could kill roughly 500,000 people and injure another 900,000, according to publicly available simulators on the internet developed by experts,” Harry Kazianis wrote for Fox. “My own office in Washington would likely be vaporized.”
And, if an H-bomb hit New York City, more than 1.7 million could die, Fox said
However, this is currently all speculation.
“Some would argue we don’t have clear evidence that North Korea has developed an atomic bomb small enough to fit on a warhead atop an ICBM,” Fox said. “And there’s no evidence that North Korea has so far developed a far more powerful hydrogen bomb – let alone a miniaturized version that could travel on top of a missile to reach our shores.”
Additionally, there’s no proof that North Korea has also developed a nuclear warhead shield that would protect such a weapon as it re-enters the atmosphere to hit a target.
H-bombs are heavier than a standard atomic bomb. A missile that could carry such a weapon would need to hold up, although Fox said North Korea is working on that, too – the KN-08 missile.
“The three-stage KN-08 could have the capability to carry a hydrogen bomb over a long range, thanks to its more advanced configuration. Some have even argued this could be the next missile North Korea might test,” Fox reported.
[revad2]
