North Korea begins preparations for nuclear tests ‘in full swing’

North Korea plans to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017, reports the Financial Times.

According to the publication, which refers to the information of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, the latest satellite images taken over the DPRK nuclear test site in Phungeri testify to the ongoing preparations.

These images reveal that new buildings are being erected at the landfill and building materials are being moved, and some equipment is already located near the site.

According to the center’s experts, preparations are “in full swing” – its current pace suggests that the tests could take place between May and September this year.

The last nuclear test in North Korea took place on September 3, 2017. Back then the country’s authorities said that experts had blown up a compact hydrogen (thermonuclear) charge, the power of which, according to various sources, ranged from 70 to 100 kilotons. It is assumed that such bomb can be equipped with intercontinental ballistic missiles.