North Korea Meeting Hints At Nuclear Test

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

Fears are growing that a planned nuclear test by North Korea may be imminent.

State news reports from the capital Pyongyang claim that the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has presided over meeting at which "important decisions" regarding the country's military were made.

According to Pyongyang's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Mr Kim chaired an "enlarged meeting" of the country's Central Military Commission.

The English-language version of the report did not say when or where the meeting was held, but claimed senior military members of the commission were all present.

The state report read: "Kim Jong-Un made an important concluding speech, which serves as guidelines for further strengthening the (North's Korean People's Army) into a matchless revolutionary army."

In neighbouring South Korea, President Lee Myung-bak has ordered government agencies to be on the alert.

Mr Lee, who will leave office in the next two weeks, made his comments at an unannounced visit to the underground bunker of the presidential compound.

Punggye-ri nuclear test facility in North Korea (Pic: Google Maps)

Pyongyang has been threatening to conduct a nuclear test for some time.

However, plans for the test, the third since 2009, appear to have been accelerated since the latest round of UN sanctions against the country, themselves prompted by the surprisingly successful rocket launch by Pyongyang in December.

Last week, satellite imagery of the Punggye-ri nuclear test facility in North Hamgyong province seen by the South Korean intelligence officials suggested that covers had been placed over a tunnel entrance.

Both South Korea and the United States are reported to have repositioned intelligence monitoring assets to gain as clear a picture as possible of Pyongyang's intentions.

South Korean and American naval and marine forces are about to begin a pre-planned military exercise in the region.

South Korea's unification minister, Yu Woo-ik, said on Friday that his government believes the third nuclear test will be much more significant than the first two, in 2006 and 2009.

Activity around the test tunnel (Pic: IHS James)

"The first and second tests can be seen as part of Pyongyang's efforts to develop nuclear capability, while a third detonation could mean it is in the final stages," he warned.

North Korea's successful launch of a satellite into orbit in December defied and surprised the international community.

The move prompted the United Nations to levy further sanctions on Pyongyang. The UN resolution had the unusual support of North Korea's only real ally, China.

The Chinese backing is being seen as a clear suggestion of Beijing's frustration at North Korea's continued defiance of international law.

In the past, much of what comes out of Pyongyang is seen by Western governments as little more than bluster and rhetoric.

However, the surprise success of December's rocket launch did focus minds in Washington, London, Seoul and even Beijing.

The international concern is that North Korea's inexperienced and young new leader plans to combine his two developing technologies - ballistic missile capability and nuclear detonation tests - to create a nuclear weapon.

Pyongyang's rockets already have the ability to reach far across east Asia, though suggestions that they could reach the west coast of the US are thought to be wide of the mark.

Analysts also point out that there is a big technological gap between producing a rocket capable of firing a satellite into orbit and developing a nuclear warhead small enough to fit into a rocket which could then be fired accurately.

The concerns are compounded by the fact that reliable intelligence is significantly lacking.

Intelligence communities rely largely on the incomplete picture delivered through the many satellites passing over the peninsula.

Imagery from one satellite, passed to Sky News last week showed increased activity at the probable nuclear test site, but the picture it provides is incomplete.

"The imagery, taken by DigitalGlobe on January 12, displays continued activity at the site, including the presence of three support vehicles and sustained use of roads between different parts of the site." an analyst from IHS Janes told Sky News.

Information from satellites is useful, but paradoxically, the key questions about how advanced Mr Kim's nuclear programme really is will only be answered once the third test has taken place.

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