Images suggest North Korea to begin nuclear test

(Vatican Radio) Experts believe satellite images over North Korea suggest that the country is preparing to carry out a nuclear test.

Satellite pictures show North Korea's nuclear test site covered in snow, but it has been cleared away from the entrance to a tunnel where experts believe a new blast could take place. There is also a kind of awning covering the entrance, which may be intended to foil photography satellites -- this according to South Korean officials, who believe a blast could happen at any time.

Carrying out a nuclear test would challenge a United Nations Security Council prohibition on weapons development by North Korea. Such an action would also go against the urgings of its ally China to step back and spend its money where its people would benefit more directly. North Korea's military has said it will carry out a nuclear test: in its words, a "high-level" one "targeted against" the United States.

Meanwhile, South Korea continues to watch the north's behaviour days before it inaugurates a new president. Seismic monitoring stations and military planes are on standby to detect a blast when it occurs.

Listen to regional correspondent Alastair Wanklyn’s full report: