Volleyball spotted in North Korea nuclear test site

International Desk: US experts who analyse satellite images from North Korea say they have seen unusual activity at the country's nuclear test site: volleyball games.

The images were taken on Sunday by a commercial satellite amid speculation that Pyongyang was preparing for its sixth nuclear test at a time of growing tensions with the US.

The pictures were released by 38 North, a North Korea monitoring project at Johns Hopkins University, in Maryland.

The analysts gave two possible reasons for the unexpected activity at the Punggye-ri test site: either preparations had been put on "stand-by", or this was part of a "deception plan" by the government.

"Regardless," they said in a report, "the Punggye-ri nuclear test site appears able to conduct a sixth nuclear test at any time once the order is received from Pyongyang."

The status of the test site remained unclear, experts Joseph S. Bermudez Jr, Jack Liu and Frank Pabian said.

"Possible explanations for the most recent developments are [that] the site and associated preparations for a sixth nuclear test have transitioned to a 'stand-by' status, with personnel being allowed some down-time for recreation.

"[Or that] Pyongyang has initiated a tactical pause in activity at the test site as part of an overall deception plan, delaying the sixth nuclear test until a time when a detonation would achieve the greatest political advantage."

Source: Agencies
 

risingbd/Dhaka/April 21, 2017/A K Azad