North Korea digs tunnels at nuclear test site, could indicate upcoming nuke test

North Korea digs tunnels at nuclear test site, could indicate upcoming nuke test

2011-02-20 21:21:50 GMT+7 (ICT)

SEOUL (BNO NEWS) -- North Korea has recently begun digging special tunnels at a nuclear test site in North Hamgyong Province amid fears that it could signal an upcoming nuclear test, according to news reports on Sunday.

The South Korean Yonhap news agency cited government and military sources as saying that the tunnels at the nuclear test site in Punggye-ri could mean the North is preparing for a nuclear test, similar to two plutonium-fueled nuke tests in 2006 and 2009.

"South Korea and U.S. intelligence authorities have spotted the North building a couple of additional tunnels in Punggye-ri," a government source told Yonhap. "It's obvious that North Korea is preparing for a third nuclear test."

While it was not immediately clear how many tunnels had been created by the North, it is well-known that underground bases cannot be re-used after a nuclear test. The source told Yonhap that the North was building multiple tunnels so it was able to choose the best one.

"It's unclear whether the North will conduct a plutonium-fueled nuclear test or uranium-fueled one," the source told Yonhap. "But it's likely to opt for the plutonium-based program as it has already revealed the existence of a modern uranium enrichment facility and expects strong opposition from China."

North Korea and South Korea have remained officially at war since the 1950s Korean War, which ended in a truce. The United Nations drew a borderline on the western sea, but the North has never fully accepted the boundary.

In December 2010, tensions rose to a critical level on the Korean Peninsula as South Korea began a live-fire artillery drill near the disputed Yeonpyeong Island, similar to a drill in November which led to a North Korean attack.

In the November incident, North Korea alleged that the shells were being fired into its territory and returned fire in response, killing four people and injuring 16 others on the island. South Korea responded with its own shells, killing an unknown number of people.

It was the second North Korean attack on South Korea in 2010. On March 26, a torpedo allegedly fired from a North Korean submarine struck the South Korean warship the Cheonan, killing 46 people.

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