South Korea's military closely monitoring North Korea's nuclear facilities amid testing possibility

A satellite image shows new buildings at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, Kilju County, North Hamgyong Province, North Korea, March 28. Reuters-Yonhap

South Korea's military said Monday it is keeping close tabs on North Korea's nuclear facilities amid reports Pyongyang may soon carry out a nuclear weapon test.

Last week, Victor Cha, a senior vice president and Korea chair at the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, raised the possibility the North could conduct a nuclear test around the U.S. Memorial Day holiday that falls Monday (local time).

"Under close coordination between South Korea and the United States, (we) are closely tracking and monitoring related facilities and areas while maintaining a firm readiness posture," Col. Kim Jun-rak, spokesperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a press briefing when asked about the matter.

South Korea's military has said the North appears to have completed preparations for a new nuclear weapon test, which would be its seventh such test after its previous one in September 2017.

The North has recently ratcheted up tensions in the region with a string of saber-rattling, most recently launching three ballistic missiles last week, including an apparent long-range one, in its 17th show of force this year. (Yonhap)

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