New North Korean N-test feared

12 April 2012

South Korea says it has spotted signs related to possible preparations for an additional North Korean nuclear test, Yonhap news agency reported.

Citing unnamed government officials, it said various intelligence reports were coming in about a possible test, but that it was unclear how reliable these were.

Kyodo News agency reported Japan's foreign minister Taro Aso as saying he had received information on a possible second nuclear test.

US media, including ABC and NBC, reported earlier that US spy satellites had picked up signs of fresh test preparations, including suspicious vehicle movements. North Korea's first test was on October 9.

Washington officially recognised on Monday that last week's explosion was an underground nuclear test.

The test triggered an international outcry, leading the UN Security Council to adopt a sanctions resolution on Saturday.

North Korea has warned it would take sanctions as a declaration of war and has threatened to take further unspecified "physical measures."

Last week, North Korean officials were quoted by South Korean media as saying the communist state could even fire a nuclear-tipped missile if the situation worsens.

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