Experts have issued a warning that North Korea is preparing for first NUCLEAR tests since 2017

Experts have issued a warning that North Korea is preparing for first NUCLEAR tests since 2017

Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital is believed to be preparing for its first nuclear test since 2017, with new satellite images of a North Korean nuclear site leading experts to the conclusion, as reported by The Financial Times 

Experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, collected and analysed the commercial satellite images this week, revealing the layouts of the facility, as well as an increase of supplies and equipment outside an entrance of the nuclear test site .

“Although some sources suggest the seventh nuclear test could occur between May and September of this year, the date of a seventh nuclear test will undoubtedly depend exclusively upon the personal decision of Kim Jong Un. Current satellite imagery indicates that preparations are well under way and should not be discounted as insignificant activity.” stated the authors of the CSIS study.

Professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Leif-Eric Easley, stated: If the Kim regime wants to be provocative, it could test soon after South Korea’s new president takes office  and before Biden’s trip to Asia later in the month”.

“But in order to avoid offending Pyongyang‘s benefactors in Beijing, the next test will likely avoid dates close to China’s five-yearly Communist party Congress later in the year,” stated Easley.

The news follows reports of Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, conducting an onslaught of weapon tests that broke sanctions this year, including the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at full range for the first time since 2017.

South Korean officials and the top US envoy on North Korea had previously predicted the next nuclear test to take place celebration of the 110th anniversary of the birth of the founding leader Kim Il Sung on Friday 15, April.

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