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North Korea Threatened with Sanctions after H-Bomb Test

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North Korea's claim that it tested a hydrogen bomb is continuing to draw global condemnation, with neighboring South Korea calling for tighter sanctions against the communist regime.

The United States and other countries are still trying to verify that it was indeed a hydrogen bomb.

Meanwhile, a day after the test, all is quiet in the Chinese city of Dandong, which overlooks the Yalu River on the border of North Korea.

China is a key trading partner of North Korea, yet residents along this border town are worried about their neighbor's nuclear capability.

CBN's Erick Stakelbeck says North Korea's test is further proof America's enemies do not fear the Obama administration. Click play to watch.

"I think North Korea is an unstable country with unstable policies. I think it is a threat and a sabotage to China, and to world peace," Dandong resident Tian Zhibin said.

The United States has deployed military planes off the coast of North Korea to determine what kind of device was tested Wednesday. Many are doubtful the bomb was hydrogen-powered.

"I have doubts it is a hydrogen bomb. It is, however, a nuclear weapon that was detonated," Bill Richardson, former U.S. ambassador to United Nations, said.

And these nuclear tests have only grown bigger since the first one almost a decade ago. Experts estimate that Pyongyang could potentially have as many as 50 to 100 nuclear weapons in the next four years.

"It means that they're aggressive," Richardson said. "They don't want to talk to anybody. They've got a leader that nobody knows anything about. So it's a very dangerous situation because what you have is a tinderbox in northeast Asia."

This latest test is yet another reminder that world powers have so far failed to stop the rogue nation's nuclear ambitions.

CBN's Eric Stakelbeck says it should also serve as a cautionary tale for how America deals with Iran and their nuclear ambitions.

"We struck a nuclear deal with North Korea back in 1994 under the Clinton administration," Stakelbeck noted. "Obviously, North Korea did not adhere to the agreement to give up pursuit of nuclear weapons."

"We have a similar agreement with Iran this past summer, so now will Iran adhere to that agreement? I highly doubt it," he said. "I think it's much more likely they go the route of their fellow tyrant North Korea and continue to pursue nuclear weapons in defiance of the West."

This was North Korea's fourth nuclear test, three of which have occurred under President Barack Obama's watch.

It's a fact that wasn't lost on some Republican presidential candidates, who criticized the president and the Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton for their lack of leadership in confronting America's adversaries.

"It's reckless what's happened under this administration and what happened on Hillary Clinton's watch at the State Department," presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., charged.

Wednesday's test has drawn global condemnation and calls for tighter sanctions against the North.

"It is important that the international society does not tolerate North Korea's nuclear possession and make it pay the corresponding price for its nuclear test," South Korean Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Cho June-hyuck said.

North Korea's president Kim Jong-un turns 33 on Friday. Some experts suspect the nuclear test was aimed at boosting his dictatorship at home while sending the world a message that his nuclear weapons are key to his country's future.

"Conducting a nuclear test signals to his own people the power of North Korea," Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, said.

"It also continues to send a message to the international community that North Korea will continue to advance its nuclear program," he warned.

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George
Thomas

Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and of Indian descent, CBN News’ Senior International Correspondent and Co-Anchor, George Thomas, has been traveling the globe for more than 20 years, finding the stories of people, conflicts, and issues that must be told. He has reported from more than 100 countries and has had a front-row seat to numerous global events of our day. George’s stories of faith, struggle, and hope combine the expertise of a seasoned journalist with the inspiration of a deep calling to tell the stories of the people behind the news. “I’ve always liked discovering & exploring new