US detects new activity at North Korean nuclear test site: report
Max Greenwood
United States satellites have detected activity at an underground site in North Korea used to test nuclear weapons, CNN reported Tuesday.
U.S. officials told CNN that it was not clear if Pyongyang was preparing for a new nuclear test, but said there was concern that the reclusive country could initiate a test during a visit by Chinese officials to Washington on Wednesday.
The site is believed to be ready for a sixth nuclear test. Potential military options in response to a new nuclear test have been updated, CNN reported.
If the North conducts another nuclear test, U.S. officials said, it would signal that President Trump’s plan to put pressure on China to rein in North Korea has been ineffective.
Trump tweeted on Tuesday that pressing China to act on North Korea “has not worked out,” though he acknowledged that, at least, “China tried.”
The tweet came a day after the death of Otto Warmbier, the American student detained in North Korea for more than a year. Warmbier returned to the U.S. last week in a coma after 17 months in North Korea.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said after Trump’s tweet that the U.S. had seen “positive movement” with China in response to the president’s efforts, adding that the U.S. would continue to seek greater cooperation with China on Pyongyang.
U.S. officials told CNN that they wouldn’t be able to say for at least a year whether Chinese pressure on North Korea is working to rein in the country’s nuclear and missiles programs.
Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have been on the rise in recent months, amid a rapid succession of missile tests by the North.
