N. Korea is nuclear test-ready: US think-tank
North Korea has repaired extensive rain damage at its nuclear test facility
and could conduct a detonation on two weeks notice, a US think-tank said Friday,
citing satellite imagery analysis.
With the UN Security Council debating possible sanctions against the North
following the launch earlier this month of a long-range rocket, there has been
widespread speculation that Pyongyang may carry out its third nuclear test.
Satellite photos as recent as December 13 show that Pyongyang is determined
to maintain a state of readiness at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, the
US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said.
Following heavy flooding earlier in the year that destroyed key
infrastructure elements, the North has moved quickly to restore its ability to
operate the complex, it said on its closely followed website 38 North.
"They continue to maintain the test site at a state of readiness that could
allow them to conduct a detonation as soon as two weeks after such a decision is
made," the institute reported.
