Bizarre satellite images suggest North Korean nuke test site is actually volleyball court
But despite appearances, US monitors said the strange sight could be a ‘deception plan’ to confuse observers
SATELLITE images of North Korea’s nuclear test site show staff playing volleyball.
US monitors said the bizarre sight could be a “deception plan” to confuse observers.
The images were taken on Easter Sunday, the day after tyrant Kim Jong-un oversaw a huge parade of missiles.
A war of words continued as it threatened the US with a “super-mighty pre-emptive strike”.
Joe Bermudez, an expert with 38 North, said the unexpected activity could either mean the test site has gone into "standby mode" and personnel were being allowed down-time for recreation or that the games were part of a "deception plan" intended to confuse observers to when a test might be carried out as North Korea knows the site is under constant observation.
Most read in news
He said: "We see that at three locations in the facility - in the main administrative area, at the support area, at the command centre and at the guard barracks near the command centre - they have volleyball games going on."
The latest threat came amid mounting tension between North Korea and the US after China moved 150,000 troops to its border with the country.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US wants to pressure the North Korean regime to re-engage in talks over its nukes.
He said: “We’re reviewing all the status of North Korea, both in terms of state sponsorship of terrorism as well as the other ways in which we can bring pressure on the regime in Pyongyang to re-engage with us, but re-engage with us on a different footing than past talks have been held."