According to Nova reports, North Korea may have completed preparations to conduct another nuclear test: the South Korean news agency "Yonhap" reported, citing the South Korean intelligence agency (NIS), that Pyongyang is ready for another missile launch. During a parliamentary hearing, the NIS announced that there was a "movement" of vehicles around the Punggye-ri nuclear power plant, which seemed to indicate that the North Korean regime would resume its missile tests. The last test was carried out in September. "The North will carry out further nuclear tests and will continue to push for the development of miniaturized and diversified nuclear warheads," the NIS reported. "The third site of Punggye-ri appears to be ready for a nuclear detonation, while the fourth may take a long time to reach this level of preparation," the South Korean intelligence service said in a release. North Korea may have completed preparations to conduct another nuclear test: South Korean news agency "Yonhap" reported, citing South Korean intelligence agency (NIS), according to which Pyongyang is ready to another missile launch. During a parliamentary hearing, the NIS announced that there was a "movement" of vehicles around the Punggye-ri nuclear power plant, which seemed to indicate that the North Korean regime would resume its missile tests. The last test was carried out in September. "The North will carry out further nuclear tests and will continue to push for the development of miniaturized and diversified nuclear warheads," the NIS reported. "The third site of Punggye-ri appears to be ready for a nuclear detonation, while the fourth may take a long time to reach this level of preparation," the South Korean intelligence service said in a release. North Korea has not engaged in provocations of any kind from its neighbors for over a month, following the launch of a ballistic missile over the skies of Japan on 15 September. This consideration has raised cautious optimism by the South Korean government on the possibility of a dialogue between the United States and Pyongyang. Cho admitted at the same time that it is too much to make conclusions based on the recent caution in the North Korean regime. The minister also reported that he could not confirm reports that Chinese authorities have thwarted an attempt by North Korean agents to assassinate Kim Jong Un's nephew, Kim Han Sol. South Korean newspaper "JoongAng Ilbo" previously announced that Chinese authorities arrested seven North Korean citizens accused of preparing the murder of the 22-year-old nephew of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. According to rumors, arrested men had been sent by Pyongyang to kill Kim Han Sol, brother of North Korean President Kim Jong Nam, assassinated in Malaysia earlier this year. Two of the arrested agents, the newspaper reports, were transferred to special facilities at Beijing's doorstep, where the Chinese authorities would be subjected to in-depth inquiries; It is not clear, however, where they were arrested and where the other five were located.

Two women are currently on trial in Malaysia on suspicion of poisoning the brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Kim Jong Nam. The trial, entrusted to the High Court of Malaysia, opened almost eight months after the assassination. Responsible for the murder are two Indonesian and Vietnamese women, Siti Aisyah and Doan Thi Huong, who risk the death penalty in case of conviction. The brother of the North Korean leader was killed on February 13, while preparing for boarding at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The two women, who claim to have been hired by a fake television crew to make pranks on passers-by, allegedly sprinkled the man's face with a nerve agent, the XV, which caused his death in about 20 minutes. 45-year-old Kim was the eldest of the children in the family that has ruled North Korea since its founding, but had fallen out of favor with his brother, Kim Jong Un, in 2001 when he attempted to enter Japan with a false passport. . Kim had been living in exile for years, and at the time of his death he was traveling with a North Korean diplomatic passport under the pseudonym “Kim Chol.