SEOUL, Jan. 12 (UPI) — North Korea may have touted a successful hydrogen bomb test, but a chorus of voices continues to suggest the experiment ended in failure.
Ji Heon-cheol, a scientist with the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources in South Korea, said the 4.8 tremor that registered last Wednesday in the aftermath of Pyongyang’s test was below the level recorded in 2013, when North Korea presumably tested a weapon less powerful than an H-bomb.
Ji said North Korea also dug an even deeper tunnel for the most recent test.
By his estimates, Pyongyang drilled down as far as 770 meters. Its 2013 test, by contrast, was held 330 meters below ground.
Despite the signs, the North’s announcement is galvanizing South Korean military recruits, Newsis reported.
A Seoul Defense Ministry official said in the aftermath of the North’s announcement, more than 1,000 soldiers have voluntarily postponed their discharge date.
The official said that number is a tenfold increase from August, when tensions escalated along the Korean demilitarized zone.
The Seoul official said the show of patriotism among soldiers is to be held in “high esteem,” but most of the soldiers would be discharged as scheduled.
Military service in the South is mandatory for men between the ages of 18 and 35.
Women are allowed to enroll in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps as of 2010.
