(Photo : NASA via Getty Images)
According to new satellite photos, North Korea is increasing operations at a critical nuclear test site, with "new activity" spotted at a second tunnel, indicating preparations to reactivate the facility for many future tests.
A recent report by Beyond Parallel claims that in a project focused on Korea at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, fresh satellite images may show North Korea is ready to conduct another nuclear test at its Punggye-ri test site and might do so at any time.
By the report's authors, an analysis of photographs from Sunday, June 12, indicates continuous work at one tunnel region, known as Tunnel No. 3, and fresh construction at another, known as Tunnel No. 4. Tunnel No. 3's restoration and preparation, which began around four months ago, looks to be complete, according to the writers, and it is ready for an oft-speculated seventh nuclear test.
North Korea Builds Tunnel for Future Nuclear Testing
The new building work at Tunnel No. 4 also strongly supports an effort to reenable it for potential future testing, according to the study. US authorities fear North Korea may be planning an underground nuclear test this month. The new building activity at Tunnel No. 4 began after the last Beyond Parallel report on May 17, 2022, indicating that the work is recent. The picture depicts a new caisson wall being built, as well as building items at the portal's entrance, according to CNBC.
After Pyongyang proclaimed a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) testing in 2018, the tunnel openings were blown up to close the facility. This destroyed the site's observation facilities, research buildings, and security posts.
However, quick advances in the previous four months have been noted by South Korea, Japan, and US intelligence, after leader Kim Jong-un stated that the moratorium no longer binds Pyongyang due to a lack of reciprocal moves by the US during denuclearisation discussions.
North Korea Authorities Assumed to Visit Nuclear Testing Site
North Korea tested at least two ICBMs this year, in violation of a UN prohibition, and has undertaken a record number of ballistic missile tests. A close-up photo of Tunnel No. 3 reveals a portal with a nearby caisson-retaining wall and some little landscaping with small trees or plants, perhaps in preparation for a visit by high authorities, according to CSIC.
A caisson is a waterproof chamber maintained dry by air pressure. New photos revealed activity below the entrance at Tunnel No. 4 as well as a new caisson wall under development in this tunnel, the Independent reported.
South Korean Foreign Minister Jin Park previously stated that preparations for a nuclear test had been finished and that only a political choice remained. According to the think tank, a new caisson wall is being built, and building materials have been spotted near Tunnel 4. No substantial activity in satellite photographs at tunnel No:3, it discovered.
There is ongoing work in the main administration and support area, with storage facilities being restored and many new structures under construction. It also discovered obvious vehicle traces. Satellite pictures revealed no signs of activity at tunnels 1 and 2, as per WIO News.
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