North Korea Atomic Test

North Korea promised to close its atomic test site next month and invite US weapons experts to the country, Seoul said Sunday, as US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about securing a nuclear deal with the secretive regime.

US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed as "very good news" for the world the decision by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to stop ballistic missile tests and shut down its atomic test site.

About 100 workers at the Punggye-ri nuclear site were affected by the initial collapse, which took place around September 10, according to reports.

North Korea's nuclear test site may be suffering from the geological condition "Tired Mountain Syndrome" following the latest in a series of atomic blasts, but it is unlikely to be abandoned, an expert website said Wednesday.

China strongly condemned North Korea's nuclear test on Sunday, slamming Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme.

A second earthquake due to a "cave in" has been detected near North Korea's nuclear test site, the China Earthquake Network Center said Sunday, minutes after a major explosion recorded by US experts indicated a sixth atomic test.

North Korea will be able to field a reliable, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile as early as next year, U.S. officials have concluded in a confidential assessment that dramatically shrinks the timeline for when Pyongyang could strike North American cities with atomic weapons.

Pyongyang is preparing for another nuclear test in the coming months, South Korean authorities said on Saturday following the detection of activity in North Korean atomic installations.

North Korea conducted its first nuclear test exactly 10 years ago Sunday, exploding a crude atomic bomb and crossing what had long been considered a "red line."

Recent satellite images show no imminent signs of a fifth North Korean nuclear test, following the conclusion of a party congress that many thought Pyongyang would mark with an atomic detonation, a US think tank said today.

North Korea will Friday launch its highest-level ruling party meeting in almost 40 years, with delegates set to heap praise on its nuclear arsenal as a "precious sword" amid fears of a fresh atomic test.

A surge in activity at North Korea's atomic test site suggests preparations for a fifth nuclear test are in their final stages, possibly before a key political event in early May, South Korean media reported today.

Washington and Seoul are not discussing the restoration of nuclear weapons to South Korea after last week's atomic test by North Korea, a U.S. official said on Monday, saying this could spark a regional arms race.

The United States and South Korea are discussing deploying more U.S. "strategic assets" to the region after North Korea's atomic test last week but not restoring U.S. nuclear arms to the South, a U.S. official said on Monday.

North Korea has developed a nuclear weapons programme despite poverty and international sanctions, using home-grown technology and virtually free labour to cut costs, experts said.

North Korea promised to close its atomic test site next month and invite US weapons experts to the country, Seoul said Sunday, as US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about securing a nuclear deal with the secretive regime.

US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed as "very good news" for the world the decision by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to stop ballistic missile tests and shut down its atomic test site.

About 100 workers at the Punggye-ri nuclear site were affected by the initial collapse, which took place around September 10, according to reports.

North Korea's nuclear test site may be suffering from the geological condition "Tired Mountain Syndrome" following the latest in a series of atomic blasts, but it is unlikely to be abandoned, an expert website said Wednesday.

China strongly condemned North Korea's nuclear test on Sunday, slamming Pyongyang for ignoring international condemnation of its atomic weapons programme.

A second earthquake due to a "cave in" has been detected near North Korea's nuclear test site, the China Earthquake Network Center said Sunday, minutes after a major explosion recorded by US experts indicated a sixth atomic test.

North Korea will be able to field a reliable, nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile as early as next year, U.S. officials have concluded in a confidential assessment that dramatically shrinks the timeline for when Pyongyang could strike North American cities with atomic weapons.

Pyongyang is preparing for another nuclear test in the coming months, South Korean authorities said on Saturday following the detection of activity in North Korean atomic installations.

North Korea conducted its first nuclear test exactly 10 years ago Sunday, exploding a crude atomic bomb and crossing what had long been considered a "red line."

Recent satellite images show no imminent signs of a fifth North Korean nuclear test, following the conclusion of a party congress that many thought Pyongyang would mark with an atomic detonation, a US think tank said today.

North Korea will Friday launch its highest-level ruling party meeting in almost 40 years, with delegates set to heap praise on its nuclear arsenal as a "precious sword" amid fears of a fresh atomic test.

A surge in activity at North Korea's atomic test site suggests preparations for a fifth nuclear test are in their final stages, possibly before a key political event in early May, South Korean media reported today.

Washington and Seoul are not discussing the restoration of nuclear weapons to South Korea after last week's atomic test by North Korea, a U.S. official said on Monday, saying this could spark a regional arms race.

The United States and South Korea are discussing deploying more U.S. "strategic assets" to the region after North Korea's atomic test last week but not restoring U.S. nuclear arms to the South, a U.S. official said on Monday.

North Korea has developed a nuclear weapons programme despite poverty and international sanctions, using home-grown technology and virtually free labour to cut costs, experts said.