North Korea has completed preparations for a nuclear test and a possible window for carrying it out could be between Oct. 16 and Nov. 7, South Korean lawmakers briefed by its spy agency said on Wednesday.
Preparations for a possible nuclear test by North Korea, which would be the first since 2017, had been completed at the Punggye-ri test tunnel, where the reclusive state conducted six underground tests from 2006 onward, two legislators told reporters after a briefing by the National Intelligence Service .
The timing of the test could be determined by events like the party congress in China, North Korea's main ally, and the midterm elections in the United States, its chief rival, they said. Also it would depend on whether Pyongyang can bring an outbreak of COVID-19 under control, they said.
The other lawmaker, Yoo Sang-bum, said the NIS sees North Korea's earlier claim of an end to COVID-19 as "unreliable" because it has repeatedly locked down and then reopened areas near the Chinese border where "mass vaccinations" are underway.over COVID-19 and eased some restrictions last month, though the country has never confirmed how many people caught the virus, apparently lacking the means to conduct widespread testing.
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