[Alex Chadwick:] Here's a subject for concern in case all those assembled world leaders get bored with World War II nostalgia-North Korea's nuclear weapons. There were reports last week that recent US satellite images show that North Korea may be getting ready to conduct an underground nuclear test. DAY TO DAY's Eric Weiner reports. ERIC WEINER reporting A Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, says US spy satellites have detected signs of unusual activity at Gilju, a suspected test site in the northeast of the country. That activity includes the digging of a tunnel and construction of a viewing stand. This could mean that North Korea is making preparations for an underground nuclear test, something it has threatened to do. Or it could be an elaborate ruse, designed to ratchet up pressure on the US and its allies in the region. Like nearly everything having to do with North Korea, the facts are murky, the intelligence unreliable. Mark Gwozdecky is a spokesman for the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
[Mr. Mark Gwozdecky:] North Korea's a black hole, not only for us but for all the intelligence agencies trying to gather information there. Certainly we all have access to satellite imagery, but satellite pictures can only tell you so much. It doesn't tell us what they're doing is an actual test site or whether it's an elaborate bluff aimed at trying to extract some leverage at the negotiating table. But unfortunately, they're not at the negotiating table, so it's very difficult to define what's behind all this.
[Weiner:] In fact, North Korea has not been at the negotiating table for nearly a year. That's when talks it was holding with the US and four other nations collapsed. South Korea, one of the participants in those talks, says the diplomatic efforts have reached a critical moment and warn that patience with Pyongyang is wearing thin. But Moon Chung-in, an adviser to the South Korean president, says part of the problem also lies in Washington. US policy on North Korea, he says, can be inconsistent.
[Ms. Moon Chung-in:] North Korea's still confused about American intention and policy in North Korea, and conflicting signals coming from Washington, DC. On the one hand, yes, we want to have a talk with you; on the other hand, you an outpost of tyranny.
[Weiner:] All of these developments-the diplomatic impasse, the possible preparations for a nuclear test and North Korea's recent firing of a short-range missile-add up to a worrisome scenario, analysts say. It's been three months since North Korea declared it has nuclear weapons. Now the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog agency says the reclusive nation may have five or six nuclear weapons. Speaking on CNN, Mohamed Elbaradei says it would be a grave mistake for North Korea to take the next step and conduct an underground nuclear test. Mr. MOHAMED ELBARADEI [International Atomic Energy Agency] It would have disastrous political repercussions. I am not sure how much environmental impact it could have in term of radiological fallout. So I do hope that the North Korean would absolutely reconsider such a reckless, reckless step. Elbaradei urged world leaders to get on the phone immediately and try to dissuade North Korea from conducting such a test, but that may not be as easy as it sounds. North Korea has resisted international pressure for years. One South Korean official compared negotiating with North Korea to wrestling with an eel. Every time you try to grasp it, he says, it slips out of your hands. Eric Weiner, NPR News.