North Korea is preparing for a new round of weapons tests, South Korean spy agency says
Associated PressSEOUL, South Korea — North Korea is preparing for a new round of provocative weapons displays such as long-range missile tests and a spy satellite launch, as it ramps up illicit activities to support its fragile economy, South Korea’s intelligence service told lawmakers Thursday. Outside experts believe North Korea’s current food shortages and economic troubles are the worst since leader Kim Jong Un took power in late 2011. The NIS said it has detected unusually heavy activities at a North Korean facility that produces solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles and at another site related to liquid-fueled ICBMs, Yoo said in a televised briefing. The NIS said North Korea also may try to launch a spy satellite in late August or early September to mark the country’s 75th anniversary on Sept. 9.