Vehicle movement detected at NK nuke site: think tank

A fresh batch of vehicles has recently been found at North Korea‘s nuclear test site, shoring up speculation that the country may be preparing for another underground detonation, a US think tank said Sunday, citing satellite imagery.

The 38 North, a blog run by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University, said that four or five vehicles or trailers were present at the entrance to the North Portal, where the communist state carried out four rounds of nuclear tests.

A pile of construction material was detected in a nearby storage lot. Though apparently undisturbed compared to previous images, if it includes sand and aggregate, it could be mixed with concrete and then used to plug the tunnel to prevent a nuclear explosion from escaping into the atmosphere, the think tank said.

“If these vehicles are related to test preparations, they could be involved in the installation of instrumentation or even a nuclear device,” analysts Joseph Bermudez Jr. and Jack Liu wrote.

“However, the evidence is not definitive, therefore they may be there for other purposes as well.”

The report came amid rising speculation that the North is getting ready for its sixth nuclear experiment, especially to coincide with its upcoming major national holidays, such as the April 15 birthday of its late founding father Kim Il-sung and the April 25 anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People’s Army.

Satellite imagery has in recent weeks been pointing to extensive activities at the Punggye site, including vehicles, personnel and equipment, as well as two tunnel entrances being dug out.

The US is reportedly maintaining the presence of WC-135 aircraft around the peninsula, tasked with air sampling in case of an underground test.

Seoul and Washington officials say preparations appear to be completed and the explosion may take place at any time, with the command of the Kim Jong-un leadership. The South Korean military said Friday it has yet to discover signs that fission devices, monitoring equipment or other critical components have been installed.

Since early this month, South Korea and the US have been staging annual joint drills involving top US strategic assets such as F-35B stealth fighters, B-1B nuclear bomber, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and nuclear-powered submarine, while applying contingency scenarios for preemptive strikes and a removal of the North Korean leadership.

The US Donald Trump administration, which is currently taking a comprehensive North Korea policy overhaul, has been toughening its line, floating the use of military action against Pyongyang’s nuclear threats.

The North Korean military’s general staff issued a statement via state media on Sunday, threatening to conduct its “own version of special operations and preemptive attacks to crush” the joint exercises without any warning.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)