North Korea 'may be poised for new nuclear missile test'
North Korea may be poised to launch a new nuclear missile test, experts have warned.
The highly isolated Communist state may be preparing to take the next step in developing a nuclear weapons programme as tensions on the peninsula rise dramatically.
There was speculation that the North might set a missile to mark the 105th anniversary of the birth of the state's founder Kim Il Sung on Sunday.
US-based monitoring group 38 North said satellite imaging appears to show the country's nuclear site is "prime and ready" for a new test.
It claimed the pictures revealed "new activity" in the site's administration area plus what appeared to be piles of equipment covered in tarpaulins or nets.
North Korea launched a long-range rocket carrying a satellite on April 13, 2012, to mark the centenary of Kim Il Sung's birth.
A group of western journalists currently in the state were reportedly told to expect a "big and important event" - but instead of watching a display of military might saw leader Kim Jong Un open a new residential area.
South Korea has played down suggesting that a sixth nuclear test could be imminent.
Tensions are rising over North Korea, which has remained defiant in the face of fierce sanctions against its missile programme that have left the country bitterly impoverished and internationally isolated.
US president Donald Trump has also raised the temperature in recent weeks, warning bluntly on Twitter that he was willing to "solve the problem" with or without other allies.
North Korea hit back with a statement saying they were "ready for war" and criticising a "reckless" US show of military strength as it sent a warship into waters off its coast.
The state was also rattled by the US's decision to bomb a Syrian airfield in response to a gas attack, suggesting a more interventionist policy than in recent years.
Mr Trump has been pushing regional power China to take a stronger stance against North Korea, mainly through applying economic pressure.