While the nuclear specter has been evoked for days about the war in Ukraine, the US warns of "suspicious movements" in the atomic sites of North Korea.

According to specialists from the Californian think tank "Cns - James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (Cns)", the analysis of satellite images showed work in progress at the North Korean nuclear test site in Punggye-ri, for the first time since its closure. in 2018.

"Construction work on one building and repairs to another indicate that North Korea has made a decision on the state of the test site," the report said, which found clear signs of reopening. A US intelligence report warned that the Kim Jong-un regime could resume its major experiments on heavier weapons as early as the end of the year.

The nine rounds of missile launches of 2022 "could be the basis for a return to intercontinental ballistic (ICBM) and nuclear ordnance testing," the US Directorate of National Intelligence recently said in its annual global threat assessment. .

The report does not mention Punggye-ri, but points out that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is heavily engaged in expanding the country's nuclear weapons arsenal.

International monitoring on the North has also focused attention on the Yongbyon nuclear reactor which appears to be fully operational, creating potential fissile material for new atomic weapons. On Monday, Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the monitoring team identified activity at the 5-megawatt reactor complex north of Pyongyang, calling the move "deeply regrettable."

(Unioneonline / lf)

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