North Korea may have resumed activities at Punggye-ri

On February 20, the 38 North website of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said that commercial satellite images showed that North Korea appeared to have resumed activities at the Pynggye-ri nuclear test site, just a short time after the country conducted its third nuclear test last week.

"It is unclear whether the resumption of activity at the nuclear test site is normal in the days following a nuclear explosion or whether it is a sign that Pyongyang intends to conduct another nuclear test in the near future. No vehicle or personnel activity was seen at the site the day after the explosion, perhaps to ensure that radiation levels at the site were safe, but the site was active on February 15. If the second tunnel in the northern area was used for the third nuclear test, the southern tunnel could be ready for the fourth nuclear test," the website said.

Pynggye-ri nuclear test site

Reuters reported that on February 15, a source familiar with the matter revealed that North Korea had informed its ally China that Pyongyang was preparing to conduct one or even two more nuclear tests in 2013, in order to force the United States to sit at the negotiating table with North Korea.

The source said everything was ready. The fourth and fifth nuclear tests and a missile test would be carried out soon, possibly this year.

Also on February 15, North Korea announced that tightening sanctions against the country, following its third nuclear test, would be considered a "declaration of war".

The Rodong Sinmun newspaper affirmed that North Korea's underground nuclear test on February 12 was "exercising the legitimate right of self-defense of a sovereign state", and denounced South Korea's call for tightening sanctions on Pyongyang as "a serious provocation"./.

According to (Vietnam+) - DT