Tri-Service

North Korea Detonates Nuclear Warhead

North Korea has announced that it has successfully detonated a nuclear warhead in the fifth such test by the communist state.

The declaration on state tv came after international seismologists detected a 5.3 magnitude event emanating from the country's atomic weapons testing facility.

Countries in the region have reacted angrily to the test amid fears that North Korea has made a significant advance in its nuclear technology.

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In recent months Kim Jong-un's military has also conducted a number of ballistic missile launches, including from submarines. While some have failed shortly after take-off others have reached Japanese waters.

Broadcasting from Pyongyang on state media a television presenter said that the test meant that the country could now produce "at will a variety of smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear warheads of higher strike power".

The underground explosion, estimated to be the equivalent of between 10,000 and 30,000 tonnes of TNT, took place near the Chinese border. A statement issued from the Foreign Ministry in Beijing read: "Today, [North Korea] again conducted a nuclear test despite widespread international opposition - the Chinese government firmly opposes the test."

Defence Analyst Karl Dewey from Jane's said: "Any nuclear test is provocative and worrying, this one is too, particularly as there are suggestions that this test is the largest yield to date -- 10 to 20 kilotons."

"If we put that into perspective, it is smaller than Hiroshima or Nagasaki, but would still be capable of ripping the heart out of a city. If a 10 kiloton yield detonated in London’s Trafalgar Square, for example, it would destroy pretty much everything from Buckingham Palace to the start of the City of London."

U.S. President Barack Obama was informed of the test whilst flying back on Air Force One from Asia. It's understood he then called the South Korean and Japanese presidents to reassure them of America's commitment to protect its allies in the region.

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The White House has also warned of serious consequences for the North Korean regime.

The nuclear test comes on the country's National Day, celebrating the founding of the current regime. It also follows the banning of sarcasm about Kim Jong-un and his dictatorship in everyday conversations. The edict was issued across the country in a series of mass public lectures held by officials loyal to Pyongyang.