N Korea Ready for another Nuclear Test any Time: South
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North Korea is ready to conduct an additional nuclear test at any time, South Korea's Defense Ministry said on Monday, three days after the reclusive North's fifth test drew widespread condemnation.
Pyongyang set off its most powerful nuclear blast to date on Friday, saying it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile and ratcheting up a threat that its rivals and the United Nations have been powerless to contain.
"Assessment by South Korean and US intelligence is that the North is always ready for an additional nuclear test in the Punggye-ri area," South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a news briefing.
Punggye-ri, near the northeastern coast, is the site of the North's five nuclear explosions.
"North Korea has a tunnel where it can conduct an additional nuclear test," Moon said.
For its part, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported earlier that North Korea had completed preparations for another nuclear test, citing South Korean government sources who said the North may use a previously unused tunnel at its mountainous test site.
It did not elaborate on what activities had been detected at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
In this regard, a US special envoy for the isolated state, Sung Kim, will travel to Seoul on Monday after discussing cooperation among neighboring countries in Tokyo in the wake of the North's latest nuclear test.
Kim met with Japanese officials on Sunday and said the United States may impose unilateral sanctions against North Korea, echoing comments by US President Barack Obama on Friday in the wake of the test.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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