Underground nuclear weapons testing

North Korea is readying the launch of a ballistic missile, military leaders in South Korea believe after launching rockets in live-fire drills in response to the test of a nuclear bomb at the weekend.

U.S. President Donald Trump says his country is prepared to defend itself and allies “using the full range of diplomatic, conventional, and nuclear capabilities” after North Korea’s test of what it called a hydrogen bomb capable of being loaded on a long-range missile.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned North Korea's sixth nuclear test and described it as destabilizing, DPA reported.

North Korea announced it has carried out a hydrogen atom bomb test and called it "absolute success," the BBC reported. The Communist State Television has already broadcast footage to which Kim Jing-nun signs a nuclear warrant.

South Korea and Japan have confirmed that Pyongyang has done its most powerful nuclear experment so far, Reuters reports.

North Korea says it has successfully tested a hydrogen bomb on Sunday. It is its sixth long-range missile test, marking a dramatic escalation of the the regime’s stand-off with the United States and its allies.

North Korea said it detonated a hydrogen bomb designed for a long-range missile on Sept. 2 and called its sixth and most powerful nuclear test a "perfect success," sparking world condemnation and promises of tougher U.S. sanctions.

Pyongyang residents threw their arms aloft in triumph as a jubilant television newsreader hailed the "unprecedentedly large" blast.

The US has imposed sanctions on a dozen Russian and Chinese companies and individuals it accuses of helping North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, reported BBC.

It comes after the UN Security Council, including Russia and China, voted for further sanctions against Pyongyang.

North Korea's leader Kim Chen Un said he was postponing the planned missile strike near Guam, but warned he would shoot if there were still "reckless actions" from the United States, AFP quoted FOCUS as saying.

China says it will stop importing North Korean coal, iron ore, fish and other goods in September as it implements UN sanctions.

The UN Security Council, including China, backed a new resolution last weekend imposing fresh sanctions on the rogue state in retaliation for its controversial nuclear programme.

The UN Security Council will vote on a draft resolution on aggravating sanctions against North Korea on Saturday at 22.00 (Bulgarian time). This was reported by TASS as one of the Western diplomats representing a member of the SS.