People watch a TV screen showing the news reporting about an earthquake near North Korea’s nuclear facility at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. North Korea said Wednesday it had conducted a hydrogen bomb test, a defiant and surprising move that, if confirmed, would put Pyongyang a big step closer toward improving its still-limited nuclear arsenal. The letters read: ” North Korea’s nuclear test.” AP Photo
WASHINGTON, United States—The United States said it was too early to verify North Korea’s claim to have tested a hydrogen bomb Wednesday, but vowed to “respond appropriately” to “any and all provocations.”
The White House has recently expressed skepticism about Pyongyang’s announcement that it had perfected a device substantially more powerful than an atom bomb.
READ: North Korea says it successfully tested hydrogen bomb
Officials said they were still investigating whether the hermit state’s claim of a fourth nuclear test was true.
“We are aware of seismic activity on the Korean Peninsula in the vicinity of a known North Korean nuclear test site and have seen Pyongyang’s claims of a nuclear test,” said National Security Council spokesman Ned Price.
“We are monitoring and continuing to assess the situation in close coordination with our regional partners.
“While we cannot confirm these claims at this time, we condemn any violation of (United Nations Security Council) resolutions.”
North Korea has previously launched three nuclear tests that brought international opprobrium and sanctions.
“We have consistently made clear that we will not accept it as a nuclear state,” said Price.
“We will continue to protect and defend our allies in the region, including the Republic of Korea, and will respond appropriately to any and all North Korean provocations.”
READ: S. Korea ‘strongly’ condemns N. Korea nuclear bomb test
Bringing new punitive measures against Pyongyang may prove difficult, after years of extensive sanctions on North Korean entities and the need for coordination among regional actors with conflicting interests.
The White House has recently tried to focus on human rights record, rather than its military provocations.
In December, the White House poured cold water on Kim Jong-Un’s suggestion that North Korea has developed a hydrogen bomb.
Spokesman Josh Earnest said the White House had concerns about the “destabilizing actions” of the regime, though available information “calls into serious question” claims that Pyongyang has a thermonuclear device.
During an inspection tour of a historical military site, Kim reportedly mentioned that North Korea was already a “powerful nuclear weapons state ready to detonate self-reliant A-bomb and H-bomb to reliably defend its sovereignty,” according to official media.