The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that signs of activity are still being detected at tunnel No. 3 of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in Gilju, North Hamgyong Province, which is being discussed as the site of North Korea’s seventh nuclear test.
IAEA Secretary-General Rafael Grosi said in a statement at the IAEA regular board meeting held in Vienna, Austria on the 6th (local time), “The IAEA has been monitoring North Korea’s nuclear program ever since it reported to the board and general assembly last November.” The nuclear test site is still ready to support a nuclear test, and we continue to see signs of activity near tunnel 3 at the test site.”
“The road to the old tunnel 4 has been reconstructed, but no traces of excavation have been observed in tunnel 4,” he said. did.
Previously, North Korea conducted six nuclear tests at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site: in October 2006, May 2009, February 2013, January and September 2016, and September 2017.
North Korea’s first nuclear test in 2006 was conducted in the east tunnel No. 1, and its second to sixth nuclear tests were conducted in the north tunnel No. 2 main and derivative tunnels. No nuclear tests had been conducted in the South No. 3 and West No. 4 tunnels until the closure of the nuclear test site in May 2018.
The closure of North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site was also interpreted as a “preemptive” measure for North Korea’s denuclearization, which was discussed as a major agenda at the North Korea-U.S. summit in June 2018. However, since then, concerns have been raised among experts that it is highly likely that North Korea only blew up the entrance to the underground tunnel at the nuclear test site, leaving the interior intact.
In fact, it has been observed that since early last year, North Korea has been trying to restore the area around tunnel No. 3 at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.
The IAEA said that activities were also underway at a nuclear facility in Yongbyon, North Pyongan Province, and observed construction work. Specifically, it added that it found signs that the 5 MW(e) reactor and centrifuge enrichment facility were in operation.
However, signs of intermittent activity at the radiochemical laboratory consistent with waste disposal or maintenance activities at the Yongbyon nuclear facility were reported to have stopped at the end of September last year.
“North Korea fully complies with its obligations under nuclear-related UN Security Council resolutions, promptly cooperates with the IAEA for the effective implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) safeguards (inspection, inspection, etc.) We urge you to solve the problem,” he raised his voice.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.
