The pictures, dated May 8, show low-level activity at the underground test site at Punggye-ri in the country’s northeast, and vehicles previously observed at the site’s command centre were "no longer present", according to an analysis by the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University.
Earlier satellite images had shown closely parked vehicles at the command centre -- usually only seen during final test preparations.
South Korean officials and
"That gathering is now ended and there are no apparent signs that a detonation will occur in the near future," said the analysis.
But the low-level activity across the complex suggests it "remains capable of supporting additional tests once a decision to move forward is made in
The UN Security Council responded by imposing its strongest sanctions to date over the North’s nuclear weapons programme.
At the ruling party congress, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un praised the "magnificent and exhilarating sound" of the January test, and delegates adopted
Kim’s report calling for an improved and expanded nuclear arsenal. — AFP