About the Author
Leo Byrne
Leo Byrne was the Data and Analytic Director at NK News. Follow him on twitter @LeoPByrne
North Korean media's claims they they tested a hydrogen bomb on Wednesday have caused widespread speculation about the current status on the DPRK's nuclear weapons technologies.
Thermonuclear explosions – such as the pictured Ivy Mike nuclear test – are orders of magnitude more powerful than their atomic predecessors, potentially indicating the DPRK has advanced through numerous technological barriers since its first nuclear test in October 2006.