The United States said Friday that it believes North Korea may be preparing a nuclear test as soon as this month, its first since 2017.
The State Department went public with its assessment amid mounting US frustration with North Korea, which has carried out a series of missile tests.
"The United States assesses that the DPRK is preparing its Punggye-ri test site and could be ready to test there as early as this month," State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter said, referring to North Korea by its official name.
"This assessment is consistent with the DPRK's own recent public statements," she told reporters.
"We have shared this information with allies and partners and will continue closely coordinating with them as well."
US President Joe Biden later this month travels to Japan and South Korea where concerns about Pyongyang are expected to be high on the agenda.
A North Korean test could coincide with Biden's visit or with the May 10 inauguration in South Korea of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to take a harder line on Pyongyang.
North Korea carried out six nuclear tests before embarking on unusually high-profile diplomacy with the United States, with former president Donald Trump meeting four times with leader Kim Jong Un.
Despite Trump's declarations that the two "fell in love," their meetings produced no permanent agreement on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program.
North Korea has shown little interest in resuming negotiations with the Biden administration, which supports diplomacy with Pyongyang but at the working level.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
North Korea's Kim Jong Un Attends Test-Firing Of Rocket Launcher North Korean Ballistic Missiles Have Range Of 110 Km, Aimed At Seoul North Korea's Kim Jong Un Unveils New Suicide Drones After Performance Test Celebrated "Russian Spy" Whale Hvaldimir Found Dead In Norway: Report INDIA's "Hit With Footwear" Protest In Mumbai Over Shivaji Statue Collapse Nurse Molested By Patient During Late Night Shift At West Bengal Hospital Synthetic Food Colours, Expired Food Items And More Found At Restaurants In Sainikpuri Royal Enfield Launches New Revit All-Weather Gear In India Houthi Rebels Say They Attacked Merchant Ship Off Yemen Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.