The underground nuclear test site that North Korea has pledged to dismantle remains usable in spite of damage from a previous blast, and its closure could easily be reversed, US intelligence officials said.
"There is no reason to conclude that the Punggye-ri test site is no longer functional," one US intelligence official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Pyongyang pledged in the run-up to Friday's historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in that it would dismantle Punggye-ri to "transparently guarantee" a pledge to discontinue nuclear and ballistic missile tests.
The US intelligence officials said that Punggye-ri remains usable, despite what a second official called "some minor geological disturbances" around Mount Mantap that could be natural or triggered by the September test.
The first official said that even if one test tunnel collapsed, others within the complex still can be used, Reuters reported.
The second US official concurred, saying that Punggye-ri could be reactivated "in a relatively short period of time" if it is closed.
