On the evening of Tues., Jan. 5, a suspicious seismic disturbance was recorded by seismological centers on the Korean Peninsula. Soon after this incident, North Korea claimed that it had conducted a successful underground hydrogen bomb test.

According to the United States Geological Survey, this seismic disturbance measured the event at magnitude 5.1 with a center 19 kilometers east-northeast of Sungjibaegam, North Korea.

The success of the hydrogen bomb might take days to confirm, but if the success is confirmed, this will be a first for the reclusive regime and a significant advancement for its military ambitions.

Mike Chinoy, a representative of University of Southern California U.S.-China Institute, told CNN, “The fact that the test has taken place, assuming it was successful, complicates the situation in Northeast Asia.”

The South Korean foreign ministry hastily summoned an emergency meeting after this North Korea’s declaration.

Officials in Japan also held discussions concerning this new situation. Japan quickly issued a strong condemnation by stating the test was a serious threat.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, said in a conference, “It clearly violates the UNSC resolution and is a serious challenge to the nuclear non-proliferation efforts.”

This poses a serious threat to countries around the world.

Supreme leader of North Korea Kim Jong-un, told the Korean state-run media, “We managed to become a great nuclear power capable of defending the independence and national dignity of our homeland by mighty nuclear and hydrogen strikes.”