By Islamuddin Sajid
ANKARA (AA) - North Korea has started restoring tunnels at its nuclear site that was closed in 2018, South Korean officials claimed on Friday.
Ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s first meeting with then US President Donald Trump in 2018, some parts of the nuclear site were destroyed in the presence of foreign media.
“The North appears to be restoring part of the four tunnels at the nuclear test site,” Yonhap News Agency quoted South Korean officials as saying.
The latest move came after Kim threatened in January that the country will consider resuming “all temporally suspended” defense activities to bolster its defenses against the US.
He was apparently referring to Pyongyang’s self-imposed moratorium since 2017 on testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles.
This year alone, North Korea has launched nine missile tests including that of a newly developed hypersonic missile.
“Indications have also emerged the North has started work to remove South Korean-built facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort on its east coast, once a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation, in yet another move likely to raise cross-border tensions,” according to the news agency.
On Thursday, the North Korean leader said that the country will launch a number of reconnaissance satellites “to keep a close eye on” military actions by the US and its allies in the region.
His remarks came a day after South Korea elected its new president who has indicated that he will take a stronger stance against Pyongyang.
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has vowed to strengthen Seoul’s strategic alliance with the US and “build a strong national defense to deter North Korean provocations.