North Korea ready for a nuclear test, Biden expected in Seoul
Eva Deschamps / May 19, 2022
North Korea has completed preparations for a nuclear test and is waiting for the best time to conduct it, a South Korean lawmaker said on the eve of U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Seoul.
Despite the recent wave of Covid-19 in North Korea, preparations for a nuclear test have been completed and they are just looking for the right time to carry it out, Congressman Ha Tae-keung told reporters, citing information from Seoul's National Intelligence Service.
Satellite images indicate that North Korea is preparing to conduct a nuclear test, and the United States and South Korea have been warning for weeks that the test could occur at any time.
Biden arrives in Seoul late Friday for a series of summits, his first trip to Asia as president.
Our intelligence reflects the real possibility of nuclear-capable missile tests or a nuclear weapons test at the time of Biden's trip, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Wednesday.
North Korea announced its first cases of Covid last week, and now reports several hundred thousand cases of the fever per day.
Several experts believe that a nuclear test could help divert public attention from the epidemic.