North Korean leader Kim Jong-un awarded state commendations to nuclear scientists and officials for the recent successful test of what the country claims was a hydrogen bomb, the country's news agency said Wednesday.

Kim honored nuclear scientists, technicians and officials with party and state commendations for their contributions "to demonstrating the dignity and might of Kim Il-sung's and Kim Jong-il's Korea through Juche Korea's first successful H-bomb test," the state-run (North) Korean Central News Agency said.

On Jan. 6, the communist country conducted its fourth nuclear test, which the North claimed was based on a hydrogen bomb. The outside world suspects, however, that the recent test may have been a test of a conventional atomic bomb or a boosted fission bomb at best.     

The recent test "demonstrated the invincibility and mightiness of Kim Il Sung's and Kim Jong Il's Korea far, and wide and struck terrible horror into the hearts of the U.S. imperialists and their followers," Kim was quoted as saying in a congratulatory speech.

With the newest test, North Korea "proudly joined the advanced nuclear weapons states," Kim also stressed.

Kim called for more efforts to increase the quality and quantity of the country's nuclear force so as to be "capable of making nuclear strikes at the U.S.-led imperialists any time and in any space ... if they encroach upon the sovereignty of North Korea and make threatening provocations," according to the KCNA. 

The report did not elaborate on the identities of the award recipients. (Yonhap)