N. Korean Underground Nuclear Test?

The American news channel ABC reported on August 17 (local time) that movements have been detected in North Korea for an underground test of a nuclear bomb.

ABC quoted U.S. Department of Defense and senior military officials saying, “Suspicious vehicle movements have recently been observed outside Punggye-yok, an underground facility in northeast North Korea, and the intelligence was brought to the attention of the White House last week.”

ABC added, “The activity includes the unloading of large reels of cable,” and, “Cables can be used in nuclear testing to connect an underground test site to outside observation equipment.”

ABC reported that the State Department views a North Korean nuclear test as a real possibility, but that U.S. officials caution that the intelligence is not conclusive.

The report added that in May last year U.S. spy satellites picked up suspicious activity at suspected test sites in North Korea, leading some to predict an imminent nuclear test, but nothing happened. One analyst stated in an ABC interview that "It is the view of most in the community that there is a 50-50 chance North Korea will conduct a nuclear test by the end of the year."

CNN also reported, “Changes indicating preparations for a nuclear test (suspicious truck activity and cable bundles) have been detected, (but) the development was minor and said there was no way to draw firm conclusions about what it means.”

Korean Minister of Unification Lee Jong-seok commented on the matter on August 18, saying, “We do not have any information to confirm on the possibility of North Korea conducting nuclear tests.”

Lee answered at the National Assembly’s ‘Special Committee for the Peaceful Unification of Korea for Reconciliation and Prosperity’ on the question of the North Korean nuclear test reports by the American media, as posed by Uri Party assemblyman Choi Sung, that “information exchange on North Korean nuclear and missile matters are completely transparent between South Korea and the U.S. The two nations are sharing all information on this matter.”

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