South Korea's defense ministry said Monday that its military is closing monitoring a possibility for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s underground nuclear test as activity recently increased in the country's main test site.
Defense Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Kyun told a press briefing that there is a possibility for the DPRK to conduct another nuclear test in consideration of the recent moves, saying the military is closing monitoring the situations.
Concerns mounted recently for the DPRK's fifth nuclear test as top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un gave orders on March 15 to test a nuclear warhead and ballistic rockets capable of carrying the warhead.
Pyongyang test-fired a Musudan ballistic missile for the first time on Friday. The missile, which was launched from a mobile launcher, was known to have failed as it exploded in mid-air.
The Musudan missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and reaching parts of the U.S. territory such as Guam and the outer reaches of Alaska.
Moon said that the DPRK leader had ordered a nuclear warhead explosion test as soon as possible, saying that Pyongyang has been in a state of conducting the fifth nuclear test at any time.
The DPRK detonated what it claimed was its first hydrogen bomb on Jan. 6, the fourth of its tests. It was followed by a long-range rocket launch, which was condemned as a disguised test of ballistic missile technology, on Feb. 6.
