North Korea ready for 7th nuclear test, claims South Korea

ANKARA

The South Korean intelligence agency on Wednesday claimed that North Korea is ready for the seventh nuclear test and could promptly carry it out if Kim Jong-un makes a decision, according to Yonhap News.

During a closed-door meeting of the Parliamentary Intelligence Committee, the Defense Intelligence Agency officials briefed the lawmakers and shared their assessment.

"If Kim makes a decision to conduct a nuclear test utilizing the No. 3 tunnel at Punggye-ri, it can be carried out in a short time," Ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sun-won and opposition People Power Party's Lee Seong-kweun told reporters after the meeting.

Pyongyang appears to be intensifying efforts to secure nuclear materials and is setting up various types of facilities to manufacture nuclear warheads, according to the assessment.

North Korea last conducted an underground nuclear test in 2017.

According to the report, North Korea was also preparing to launch another spy satellite for high-resolution imagery.

In 2023, Pyongyang launched its first military spy satellite, the Malligyong-1, and pledged to deploy three additional spy satellites in 2024.

However, it has not launched another satellite since a rocket carrying one exploded shortly after liftoff in May 2024.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions since mid-2000 for its nuclear program, which it views as critical for national security and refuses to dismantle.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that North Korea was not the only country testing nuclear weapons, claiming that Russia and China were also holding such tests.

Last month, ahead of his Asia tour, Trump said North Korea is a "sort of nuclear power" and that he is open to meeting North Korean leader Kim.