North Korea is now in the final stages of preparing for yet another nuclear test that could come in the next few days, Fox News reported Thursday, quoting U.S. officials.
U.S. defense officials have confirmed that Pyongyang has completed digging new tunnels around the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, but it still has to move more equipment into the area for a possible test, one official said.
North Korea's nuclear preparations prompted the U.S. military to recently move a surveillance aircraft used to test the air following nuclear explosions to the region, the report said.
The Air Force WC-135 Constant Phoenix arrived in Japan and will be used to patrol the area off the Korean Peninsula in the coming days, it said, quoting a separate official.
Since 2006, North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests, including ones in January and September last year.
