North Korea preparing a nuclear test, analysts and U.S. military warn

PanARMENIAN.Net - Satellite images suggest North Korea could be in the final stages of preparations for a new nuclear test according to U.S.-based analysts, who echoed similar conclusions by the U.S. military, AFP reports.

The images, taken Saturday, March 25 show up to four vehicles or equipment trailers continuously present at the entrance to the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, with communications cables likely laid on the ground.

"This equipment would likely be used to initiate the test, collect data from the explosion and process the data," said 38 North, a project of the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

Last week, the U.S. military reached similar conclusions after observing activity at the hermit state's nuclear sites.

Pyongyang is on a quest to develop a long-range missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland with a nuclear warhead, and has so far staged five nuclear tests, two of them last year.

Another blast would be a fresh challenge for new US President Donald Trump, who has tweeted that its goal of possessing an intercontinental ballistic missile "won't happen."

The 38 North researchers noted Tuesday that water was being pumped out of the portal at Punggye-ri and drained downhill to keep the tunnel dry for monitoring or communications equipment.

"The combination of these factors strongly suggests that test preparations are well under way, including the installation of instrumentation," the researchers said.

But they warned that there was "no definitive evidence", adding: "Since North Korea knows the world is watching and is capable of deception, caution should be used before declaring that a nuclear test is imminent."