Will North Korea test a 'HYDROGEN BOMB' in 'a few days'? Officials warn Kim is set to order fresh nuclear test imminently

  • North Korea could be about to carry out nuclear test within days, says official
  • Kim Jong-Un claimed to have conducted H-bomb test at same facility last year
  • Comes amid fears Pyongyang wants to build rockets that can reach America 

Kim Jong-Un is preparing to carry out a fresh nuclear test within days, it has been claimed.

North Korea said last year it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile amid fears Pyongyang wants to build rockets capable of reaching the US.

Pyongyang is now in the final stages of testing a nuclear weapon at Punggye-ri on the east coast 'at any time' once the dictator gives the green light, officials in the region have claimed. 

The secretive nation has previously claimed to have carried out a hydrogen bomb test at the same site last January sparking fears it could be about to repeat H-bomb blast. 

Kim Jong-Un is preparing to carry out a fresh nuclear test within days, it has been claimed. He is pictured (centre) meeting scientists at a nuclear research centre

Kim Jong-Un is preparing to carry out a fresh nuclear test within days, it has been claimed. He is pictured (centre) meeting scientists at a nuclear research centre

North Korea said last year it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile amid fears Pyongyang wants to build rockets capable of reaching the US. Pictures show tests being carried out on rockets in North Korea earlier this month

North Korea said last year it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile amid fears Pyongyang wants to build rockets capable of reaching the US. Pictures show tests being carried out on rockets in North Korea earlier this month

Pyongyang is now in the final stages of testing a nuclear weapon at Punggye-ri on the east coast 'at any time' once the dictator gives the green light, officials in the region have claimed. Kim Jong-Un is pictured viewing a ballistic missile launch

Pyongyang is now in the final stages of testing a nuclear weapon at Punggye-ri on the east coast 'at any time' once the dictator gives the green light, officials in the region have claimed. Kim Jong-Un is pictured viewing a ballistic missile launch

Hydrogen bombs are much more powerful, and much more difficult to make, than atomic bombs and there has been scepticism that Kim Jong-Un has reached the stage of testing one.

U.S. and South Korean military surveillance assets were closely monitoring the Punggye-ri site said a South Korean military official, who declined to be identified.

Speaking by telephone, the official also declined to comment on whether there were fresh signs pointing to an imminent test.

'North Korea is ready to carry out a nuclear test at any time, depending on the leadership's decision. We are keeping a close eye on its nuclear activities,' the official said.

South Korea has been aware that the North could move ahead with another test at any time since it conducted its last nuclear test in September.

South Korea has been aware that the North could move ahead with another test at any time since it conducted its last nuclear test in September

South Korea has been aware that the North could move ahead with another test at any time since it conducted its last nuclear test in September

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches, in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and is believed by experts and government officials to be working to develop nuclear-warhead missiles that could reach the United States.

Fox News in the United States reported on Thursday that the North was in the final stages of preparing for another nuclear test, possibly within the next few days. The network cited U.S. officials with knowledge of recent intelligence.

It quoted one of the officials as saying the test could come as early as the end of the month.

The Washington-based think tank 38 North said in February satellite imagery showed the North's nuclear site continued low-level activity in a possible sign that it could conduct another test soon. However, it said it was unclear exactly when such a test might take place.

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches, in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and is believed by experts and government officials to be working to develop nuclear-warhead missiles that could reach the United States

North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests and a series of missile launches, in defiance of U.N. sanctions, and is believed by experts and government officials to be working to develop nuclear-warhead missiles that could reach the United States

The South Korean military has said several times since the September test that Pyongyang was ready to conduct another nuclear blast at any time, and that a tunnel was available at the site to do so.

North Korea said last year it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile and has been ratcheting up a threat that its rivals and the United Nations appear powerless to contain.

A North Korean missile appeared to have exploded just after it was launched on Wednesday, the latest in a series of weapons tests that have alarmed the region.