Seoul closely monitoring Pyongyang's nuke facilities amid testing possibility

Seoul, May 30 (IANS) South Korean military said on Monday that it is keeping close tabs on North Korea's nuclear facilities amid reports Pyongyang may soon carry out a nuclear experiment.

Last week, Victor Cha, a senior vice president and Korea chair at the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, raised the possibility the North could conduct a nuclear test around the American Memorial Day holiday that falls on Monday, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"Under close coordination between South Korea and the United States, (we) are closely tracking and monitoring related facilities and areas while maintaining a firm readiness posture," Col. Kim Jun-rak, spokesperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a press briefing.

South Korea's military has said the North appears to have completed preparations for a new nuclear test, which would be its seventh known experiment after its previous test in September 2017.

The North has recently ratcheted up tensions in the region with a string of saber-rattling, most recently launching three ballistic missiles last week, including an apparent long-range one, in its 17th show of force this year.