Nuclear test site ready for more blasts in North Korea: Yonhap

By Park Sae-jin Posted : September 14, 2016, 21:10 Updated : September 14, 2016, 21:10

[Yonhap News Photo]


North Korea's nuclear test site is ready for at least three more blasts at any time, and the communist nation could conduct one to mark next month's anniversary of its first nuclear test, a US expert said.

Joel Wit, chief editor of the website 38 North, made the remark in an op-ed piece in the New York Times, stressing that the next US administration should launch a new diplomatic initiative to curb Pyongyang's dangerously accelerating nuclear and missile programs.

"Satellite photos of North Korea's nuclear test site indicate that at least three more tests are possible at a moment's notice," Wit said. "Since North Koreans often celebrate important dates with spectacular shows, the approaching 10th anniversary of its first nuclear detonation on October 9 might be the perfect occasion."

The North's fifth nuclear test last week and a series of missile launches in recent months show that Pyongyang may be able to deploy more powerful nuclear weapons and more dangerous delivery systems more quickly than previously expected, Wit said.

"Last year, researchers at the institute where I work concluded that by 2020 North Korea could field an intercontinental ballistic missile able to reach the United States. But if Pyongyang tests the missile that has appeared in recent military parades, it could be sooner," he said.

"The simple hydrogen bomb the North Koreans were expected to have by 2020 now may be ready and mounted on a missile earlier," he added.

(Yonhap)
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