SEOUL, April 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's military on Tuesday expected the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to conduct a"surprise" nuclear test at an unpredictable time as seen in the case of its previous nuclear detonation.
"As seen in North Korea (DPRK)'s recent fourth nuclear test, there is a possibility for (the DPRK's fifth nuclear test) taking place by surprise at a time when we can hardly predict," Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Kyun told a press briefing.
Moon said that the DPRK has prepared to detonate its nuclear device at any time and can actually do it when the country makes a decision, noting that the South Korean military is closely monitoring a surprise detonation.
According to South Korean and the U.S. intelligence authorities cited by Yonhap news agency, the moves of vehicles and personnel at a main DPRK nuclear test site recently increased two to three times more than last month.
Read the full story at Xinhua