The United States says North Korea is preparing its Punggye-ri nuclear test site and could be ready to conduct a test there as early as this month, State Department deputy spokesperson Jalina Porter said on Friday.

North Korea has recently stepped up weapons tests and resumed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches this year for the first time since 2017.

It has not tested a nuclear bomb since 2017, but US and South Korean officials have been saying for weeks that there are signs of new construction at Punggye-ri, North Korea’s only known nuclear test site, and that Pyongyang could soon test another bomb.

Punggye-ri has been officially closed since 2018.

Ms. Jalina Porter added the US had shared this information with allies and partners and will continue closely coordinating with them as well. North Korea’s nuclear issue is expected to be put on the table during US President Joe Biden’s visits to South Korea and Japan from May 20-24.

Source: VOV5