The UN has warned that North Korea is currently preparing to carry out its first nuclear test since 2017.
Construction work on an underground testing facility in the north of the country has been observed in recent months, said a confidential UN report, parts of which were made available to the DPA news agency.
“Work at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site paves the way for additional nuclear tests for the development of nuclear weapons.”
Satellite imagery of the site suggests that North Korea has been repairing its network of tunnels at Punggye-ri, as well as rebuilding structures on the site that were demolished in 2018 during negotiations with the US.
ALSO READ: Politicians Warn of Heightened Threat at Nuclear Arms Conference
According to the UN report, which covers activity over the past few months, fissile material production capacity has also been ramped up at the country’s Yongbyon nuclear facility.
Observers have been concerned for months that following numerous missile tests by Pyongyang, North Korea’s first nuclear test in almost five years could be imminent.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been highlighting activity at Punggye-ri, where North Korea conducted six nuclear test explosions between 2006 and 2017, since June.
The Pyongyang government is subject to stringent sanctions as a result of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program.
(This story has been sourced from a third-party syndicated feed, agencies. Raavi Media accepts no responsibility or liability for the dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, and data of the text. Raavi Media managementythisnews.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content at its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.)
