Tag Archives: atomic blasts
North Korea planning new nuclear test, South Korean intelligence report says
Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — North Korea is planning a nuclear test in the area where it has staged previous atomic blasts, according to a report from South Korean intelligence officials obtained by CNN.
The intelligence report has come to light as North Korea gets ready to carry out a rocket launch this week, a move that would further strain ties between the reclusive, nuclear-armed state and other countries. The launch is scheduled to take place just months after the ascendancy of its new leader.
The South Korean intelligence report says it is probable that after the long-range rocket launch, North Korea will use the ensuing international condemnation as an excuse to go ahead with the nuclear test in Punggye-ri, the site in the country’s northeast where the other two tests were conducted in 2006 and 2009.
The report, which said such a test would be considered a grave provocation, includes satellite images that it says were shot recently and show the final stages of a tunnel being dug at the site.