Ekip
20 October 2015•Update: 20 October 2015
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
North Korea appears to be getting ready for a fourth ever nuclear test, but it is not clear when it might be carried, a South Korean intelligence claimed Tuesday.
The revelation came after local lawmakers were briefed by the South's state spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Representative Lee Chul-woo of the Saenuri Party told reporters what they had learned, including alleged confirmation that China helped pressure Pyongyang into refraining from a long-range rocket launch earlier this month.
North Korea was widely expected to conduct a major provocation around the 70th anniversary of its Workers' Party on Oct. 10, but instead the reclusive state settled for a vast military parade, which was attended by a senior Beijing official.
Despite the influence of the North's traditional ally, analysts are still speculating about Pyongyang's warning last month to send satellites into orbit.
Such launches would be in breach of United Nations resolutions, as would a nuclear test -- but North Korea disappointed those seeking denuclearization talks when it also recently announced the full resumption of operations at its main nuclear complex.
Amid fears that the North may have already developed the miniaturization technology necessary to pose a nuclear threat via a missile, the NIS suggested that it still has some way to go.
In addition, South Korea has been facing a barrage of cyber attacks by Pyongyang-led hackers, claimed the agency -- with Seoul's presidential office and other key facilities being targeted this month alone.
