North Korea’s recent flurry of missile launches, including an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch on 18 November 2022, has raised expectations that it could soon test a nuclear device for the first time since 2017 (CBS). North Korea has finished all technical preparations for a new test in the underground tunnels at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test site, which has been shuttered since 2018 (Reuters). Officials in the United States and South Korea have warned for months that Pyongyang is preparing for a nuclear test after a five-year suspension — a move that would signal North Korea speeding ahead with the development of advanced weapons capabilities (Al Jazeera).

• North Korea Preparing for Nuclear Weapon Test as Regional Tensions Rise (Time)
• North Korea: What missiles does it have? (BBC)
• Kim Jong Un talks up North Korea’s nuclear threat after latest missile tests (CNN)