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A senior South Korean presidential official stated Wednesday that North Korea had tested a “nuclear detonation device,” implying that a nuclear test is possible.
Pyongyang has been threatening to execute a seventh nuclear test for weeks, and on Wednesday it tested three missiles, including the Hwasong-17, which could be the country’s largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The new launch comes only days after US Vice President Joe Biden departed South Korea on Sunday.
New satellite imagery shows that, despite a recent Covid-19 outbreak, the secluded country has resumed work on a long-dormant nuclear plant.
The National Security Office’s first deputy director, Kim Tae-hyo, declared, “Operational tests of a nuclear detonation device have been detected in preparation for a seventh nuclear test.”
He claimed the tests were taking place away from the North’s main nuclear testing site, which was being constantly monitored by Seoul.
“The North Korean authorities are swiftly entering the last stages of arranging a nuclear test of the scale and quality they desire,” Kim said.
“The likelihood of a nuclear test in the next day or two is minimal,” he added, “but there is undoubtedly a potential after that.”
The presidential administration did not provide any additional information about the detonation device.
Kim made his remarks just hours after Pyongyang fired three ballistic missiles, including at least one intercontinental ballistic missile, according to Seoul.
“It was judged that the first launch was of the latest ICBM, the Hwasong-17,” he added, adding that North Korea has previously tried and failed to test-fire the missile.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un recently stepped up his military modernization programme, conducting roughly 20 sanctions-busting weapons tests this year.
Analysts have cautioned Kim that he may accelerate nuclear test plans to divert attention away from the devastating coronavirus outbreak in North Korea.
