A U.S. website dedicated to tracking North Korea says Pyongyang continues the restoration of tunnel number three at its Punggye-ri nuclear testing facility.
Citing satellite imagery from Wednesday, 38 North said the original tunnel entrance remains blocked by rubble created when it was deliberately blew it up in front of international journalists in 2018, while the progress on a new entrance, detected at the end last month, is undetermined.
It does not appear that any effort is being made to clear the debris in front of the old tunnel, and it is uncertain whether work on the new entrance is completed given the small amount of spoil outside.
The area outside the new entrance has been leveled and stabilized, with a low retaining wall recently undergoing a rebuild and extension on the north side to prevent erosion. There also appears to be vehicle access through a ramp or road incline.
Eastward from the area, a small support building has been constructed, as well as eight new structures near the worksite. Dark objects, speculated to be mining equipment and materials, were detected around the new entrance.
The observations come amid speculation that the North, which has conducted a series of provocations this year, could be preparing for a nuclear test. The Kim Jong Un regime last conducted its sixth nuclear test in September 2017.