On the morning of January 7th, North Korea fired a de facto, long-range, ballistic missile southward from the west coast of the country.

The launch came on the heels of the testing of a hydrogen bomb that the reclusive nation had conducted on January 6th, sending shock waves throughout the world. These two occurrences indicate that North Korea is about to cross the line in its nuclear weapons development.

Is the hydrogen bomb test an indication that North Korea has the ability to develop nuclear missiles?

First, let us consider the meaning of the recent hydrogen bomb test. The domestic and international media reports said that it was not a hydrogen bomb because the blast was less powerful than the ones in the previous tests.

What is the point in testing a bomb that is less capable? It is reasonable to think that North Korea has made some progress in its nuclear and missile programs.

In an interview with the editors of The Liberty, Mr. Yoshiki Hidaka, a visiting senior fellow of the Hudson Institute in Washington D.C., said, “To be exact, it was a test of part of a hydrogen bomb, but there is no doubt that North Korea conducted a hydrogen bomb test.”

It requires a tremendous amount of energy to detonate a hydrogen bomb, so a fission bomb is generally used to ignite a hydrogen bomb. Experts say that the less powerful explosion in the recent test is highly likely to be the testing of this fission device.

If North Korea succeeded in the miniaturization of a nuclear warhead, this would mean that it has already achieved the ability to deliver a nuclear warhead on a missile.

Countdown for the North’s Attack of the U.S. with Its Nuclear Weapons

If North Korea had successfully scaled down a nuclear warhead, the reason why it launched a long-range missile would become clear.

Now there is some debate over whether North Korea has the ability to hit the U.S. mainland (especially on the east coast) with its missiles at present, but the country’s nuclear development program is undoubtedly about to reach the stage.

Actually, some experts say that North Korea might have succeeded in extending the range of missile this time.

If the international community should let North Korea advance its nuclear and missile programs, the country would acquire the technology to develop nuclear missiles that could reach the U.S.

Take Immediate Action to Collapse North Korea Before It Is Too Late

If North Korea should step across the line and acquire the means to attack the U.S., the U.S. would have to change its policy towards the hermit kingdom.

The U.S. would become incomparably more vulnerable to the threat of a nuclear attack even if it has highly advanced, missile defense systems to address the threat posed by ballistic missiles.

A series of nuclear tests and the recent missile launch clearly show that we must put an end to this issue before it is too late. In fact, if we want to collapse the North Korean regime, we must take immediate action before the situation gets out of control.

The North Korean Issue Is as Urgent as the Issue of ISIL

The international community is aware of the need to take prompt action, but it finds it difficult to make a decision. North Korea is still a sovereign nation, and the question then arises as to whether it is the right thing to attack the country.

On January 9th, 2016, Master Ryuho Okawa, the founder and CEO of Happy Science, gave a seminar “Lectures on the Laws of Justice” in the city of Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture. He called for the early settlement of issues related to North Korea, saying as follows:

In North Korea, more than 200,000 people are now held in concentration camps and many people have been starved to death as a result of its missile development that the country is advancing at the sacrifice of its public. Also, the country ruthlessly executes people without any hesitation. Taking immediate action to topple the North Korean regime would save many such people who are suffering from the tyranny of Kim Jong-un.