The
United States said Friday that it believes North Korea may be preparing
a nuclear test as soon as this month, its first since 2017.
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The State Department went public with its assessment amid mounting US
frustration with North Korea, which has carried out a series of missile
tests.
"The United States assesses that the DPRK is preparing its Punggye-ri
test site and could be ready to test there as early as this month," State
Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter said, referring to North Korea by
its official name.
"This assessment is consistent with the DPRK's own recent public
statements," she told reporters.
"We have shared this information with allies and partners and will
continue closely coordinating with them as well."
US President Joe Biden later this month travels to Japan and South Korea
where concerns about Pyongyang are expected to be high on the agenda.
A North Korean test could coincide with Biden's visit or with the May 10
inauguration in South Korea of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to
take a harder line on Pyongyang.
North Korea carried out six nuclear tests before embarking on unusually
high-profile diplomacy with the United States, with former president Donald Trump
meeting four times with leader Kim Jong Un.
Despite Trump's declarations that the two "fell in love," their
meetings produced no permanent agreement on dismantling North Korea's nuclear
program.
North Korea has shown little interest in resuming negotiations with the
Biden administration, which supports diplomacy with Pyongyang but at the
working level.
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