North Korea Nuclear Test: How Will We Know? What Could Happen?
In addition to a controversial rocket launch, North Korea looks to be prepping a nuclear bomb test. Here's what to expect.
(Related: Before Kim Jong-Il Died: Inside North Korea)
Recent satellite pictures reveal that the regime of Kim Jong Un is preparing for an underground nuclear bomb blast, according to South Korean intelligence officials. The act would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions and has been preemptively condemned by several countries including the United States.
The images show the nearly complete construction of a new horizontal tunnel at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, where previous tests were conducted in 2006 and 2009, according to the intelligence sources, cited by the Associated Press.
During such tests, nuclear bombs are detonated underground to limit radiation and radioactive fallout exposure on the surface and in the atmosphere. (Pictures: "Red Hot" Nuclear-Waste Train Glows in Infrared.)
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