South Korea's intelligence agency says the North may be preparing to conduct another missile test, just days before U.S. President Donald Trump’s Asia trip.
Officials with the National Intelligence Service told lawmakers Thursday it has detected a flurry of activity at North Korea's missile research facilities in the capital, Pyongyang.
North Korea has conducted a series of tests on it nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs in recent years in defiance of international sanctions. NIS officials testified the North's Punggye-ri nuclear test site possibly sustained damage after the regime conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on September 3, as the explosion triggered at least three aftershocks.
"The North will constantly push for further nuclear tests going forward, and the miniaturization and diversification of warheads," the agency said during the briefing.
North Korea's continued nuclear and ballistic missile test programs have led to a war of words between Pyongyang and Trump, who has openly threatened to launch military action against the North. The issue will be a major focus of the U.S. president's upcoming five-nation trip to the Asia Pacific region, which includes a stop Tuesday in Seoul. Trump will also visit Japan, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.