A North Korea monitor has reported that Pyongyang is in the final stages of its next nuclear test. It comes as the country prepares for the 'Day of the Sun,' which in the past has coincided with weapons tests.
Image: Getty Images/AFP
Advertisement
The world will hold its breath Saturday as North Korea celebrates the 105th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il-Sung.
"Commercial satellite imagery of North Korea's Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site from April 12 shows continued activity around the North Portal, new activity in the Main Administrative Area, and a few personnel around the site's Command Center," the group said.
ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength
For years, the international community downplayed the threat of North Korea's military power. With the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, it is clear that Pyongyang's military capabilities are growing.
Image: Gettty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Major achievement
In early June 2017, North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time. Testing an ICBM marked a major military achievement for Pyongyang and a serious escalation of tensions with the United States and its allies in the region, particularly South Korea and Japan.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Trouble with warheads
At the time, defense experts said the ICBM could reach as far as the US states of Alaska and Hawaii. However, it was unclear if North Korea can field an ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on its cone that could survive reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. North Korean state media claimed the ICBM was capable of carrying a "large, heavy nuclear warhead" to any part of the United States.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Pyongyang's nuclear tests - six times and counting
The ICBM is believed to be a step forward in the North's nuclear program. Despite pressure from the international community, Pyongyang has made no secret of its nuclear ambitions. Alongside its ritual ballistic missile tests, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests on at least six occasions, including one in September 2017.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/KCNA
US running out of patience?
Responding to the first ICBM test with a show of force, the US and South Korean troops on conducted "deep strike" precision missile drills using Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Republic of Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II. In April, the US sent its Carl Vinson aircraft carrier towards the Korean Peninsula, saying it was taking prudent measures against the North.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/M. Brown
Testing the boundaries
Ignoring international condemnation, Pyongyang test-launched another rocket on July 28, 2017, just weeks after its first ICBM test. In both of the tests, North Korea used Hwasong-14 missile, but the second one reached a higher altitude and traveled a larger distance than the first one, according to the state media.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/KCNA
Whole of US within range?
Pyongyang conducted its third test November 29, using a newly developed Hwasong-15 missile. US, Japanese and South Korean officials said it rose to about 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and flew 960 kilometers (600 miles) over about 50 minutes before landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the country's coast.
Image: picture-alliance/MAXPPP
One of the world's largest militaries
Apart from a developing missile and nuclear program, North Korea has a powerful army with 700,000 active troops and another 4.5 million in the reserves. It can call upon almost a quarter of its population to serve in the army at any given time. The North's bloated army is believed to outnumber its southern neighbor's by two-to-one.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Vast capabilities
According to the 2017 Global Firepower Index, the North has, as part of a far-reaching arsenal, 458 fighter aircraft, 5,025 combat tanks, 76 submarines, and 5,200,000 total military personnel. The picture above from 2013 shows leader Kim Jong Un ordering strategic rocket forces to be on standby to strike US and South Korean targets at any time.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Enemies all around
Alongside the United States, Pyongyang views its neighbors South Korea and Japan as its two other main enemies. North Korea has used US military exercises in the region as means of galvanizing its people, claiming that the exercises are dress rehearsals for an impending invasion.
Image: Reuters/K. Hong-Ji
Huge, colorful demonstrations of military might
Every year, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and citizens roll through the streets of the capital Pyongyang to take part in the North's military parades. Preparations for the rallies often begin months in advance, and the parades usually mark important anniversaries linked with the Communist Party or Kim Jong Un's family.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/KCNA
10 images1 | 10
Such a test would coincide with the country's biggest national celebrations, known as "Day of the Sun," on Saturday. Pyongyang has often used the date to mark a show of strength. In 2012, North Korea tried but failed to launch a long-range missile carrying a satellite, while last year it tested a barrage of newly developed intermediate-range missiles.
The North has invited some 200 foreign journalists to Pyongyang ahead of the celebrations. So far, however, the only reports are of relatively low key events.
An editorial in the influential state-backed Global Times newspaper said that denuclearization was the best option for North Korea and its leader Kim Jong Un.
"As soon as North Korea complies with China's declared advice and suspends nuclear activities ... China will actively work to protect the security of a denuclearized North Korean nation and regime," the Global Times reported.
Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke with his US counterpart Donald Trump by telephone on Wednesday, just days after the pair met in the United States, underscoring the level of urgency raised by the North's suspected upcoming weapons test.
Tensions between the US and North Korea have surged in recent days. On Saturday the US diverted its Carl Vinson aircraft carrier group to the West Pacific, just of the Korean peninsula in a move the White House said had put the North "clearly on notice."
Abe's speech coincided with South Korea saying it believed it would be consulted by the US ahead of any pre-emptive strike against the North. At a parliamentary hearing in Seoul Thursday, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said that "under the South Korea-US alliance, any important measure on the North is taken under consultation with the South Korea government and it will continue in the future."
Seoul officials added that they had received no evidence indicating of a rising Pyongyang nuclear threat, but said the North had maintained a state of readiness to conduct such a test at any time.
