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(Adds a Pentagon comment)
by josh smith
SEOUL, March 8 (Reuters) – Commercial satellite imagery shows the structure of North Korea’s nuclear control for the first time since it closed in 2018, U. S. -based analysts said on Tuesday, adding to considerations that the country could simply resume primary arms controls.
Satellite images on Friday showed very early symptoms of activity at the Punggye-ri site, adding the structure of a new structure, the arrangement of the structure and what would possibly be wood and sawdust, specialists from the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) said in a report.
“The structure and fixed paintings indicate that North Korea has made a decision on the prestige of the site,” the report says.
North Korea tested a record number of missiles in January, adding its largest weapon since 2017, and appears to launch a spy satellite.
International observers have also reported that the North’s main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon appears to be booming, which could create fuel for nuclear weapons.
Punggye-ri has been closed since North Korea declared a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear weapons in 2018. However, leader Kim Jong Un said he no longer felt bound by the moratorium, as talks on denuclearization have stalled since 2019.
At the time, North Korea said it was ending tunnels at the site with explosions, blocking its entrances and cutting off all services, building studios and security posts. He invited a handful of foreign media outlets to practice demolition, but refused to allow foreigners. inspectors, suggesting that amenities can be simply restored.
In South Korea, where the electorate will elect a new president on Wednesday, the National Security Council said Sunday it is paying special attention to Yongbyon and Punggye-ri, giving more details.
SNC analysts said the adjustments in Punggye-ri only happened in recent days and it is still difficult to determine precisely what is being built or why.
“One option is for North Korea to be returning the control site to a state of readiness to resume control of nuclear explosives,” the report says.
SNC analysts have warned that the control site is several months or even years away before it is in condition for further nuclear explosions.
“The time it would take for North Korea to resume explosives tests at the site depends on the extent of the damage to the tunnels themselves, which we do not know for sure,” they wrote in the report. “It is also conceivable that North Korea would resume its nuclear tests somewhere else. “
Punggye-ri is North Korea’s only known nuclear control site. It conducted six nuclear weapons checks in tunnels at the site from 2006 to 2017. North Korea’s lacheck and greacheck nuclear control gave the impression of causing geological instability that has since caused several small earthquakes. however, U. S. analysts and intelligence officials are not in the process of being able to do so. U. S. officials said it is very likely that the site will be used again.
A Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Marty Meiners, declined to comment on intelligence issues or investigation of advertising symbols.
“However, we have been very transparent about the risk posed by the missile systems of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and our commitment to protect the ROK, Japan and the American homeland, and our commitment to maintain regional peace. and stability,” he said, the initials of the official names of North and South Korea.
The United States says it is open to talks without preconditions, but North Korea says Washington and its allies will first have to avoid their “hostile policies. “. )