衛星照片顯示朝鮮在覈試驗場挖掘新坑道
North Korea appears to be digging a tunnel that could be used for a detonation at its main nuclear test site, according to new satellite photography analysis.
最新衛星照片分析顯示，朝鮮正在其主要核試驗場挖掘一條可用於引爆的新坑道。
Jeffrey Lewis, a prominent nuclear weapons analyst at the Monterey Institute of International Studies, said images from the past two months suggested work was under way on a fourth tunnel at the Punggye-ri site on the country’s east coast.
蒙特瑞國際研究學院(Monterey Institute of International Studies)的著名核武器分析專家傑弗里路易斯(Jeffrey Lewis)表示，過去兩個月的衛星照片似乎表明，朝鮮正在其東海岸的豐溪里(Punggye-ri)核試驗場建造第四條坑道。
North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests, in 2006, 2009 and 2013. Speculation has grown in recent months about a possible fourth test, which some had thought might come in October to mark the anniversary of foundation of the ruling Korean Workers’ party.
朝鮮于2006年、2009年和2013年進行了三次核試驗。近幾個月來，外界越來越擔心朝鮮可能進行第四次核試驗。有些人曾認爲，核試驗或許會在今年10月進行，配合朝鮮勞動黨(Korean Workers’ Party)的成立週年慶祝。
In his analysis posted on the North Korea-focused 38 North website, Mr Lewis said there were no indications that a test was imminent but noted that it would add to Pyongyang’s “ability to conduct additional detonations at Punggye-ri over the coming years”.
路易斯在關注朝鮮的網站貼出的分析文章中表示，沒有跡象表明朝鮮將馬上進行核試驗。但他指出，這將提高朝鮮“未來幾年裏在豐溪里進行更多核爆炸的能力”。
North Korea’s three previous tests suggested steady advances in nuclear technology. Academics at the University of Science and Technology of China estimated the yield of the 2013 test at about 12kT: more than double the force of its 2009 test and four-fifths that of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
此前三次試驗似乎表明，朝鮮在覈技術上取得了穩步進展。中國科學技術大學的學者們估計，2013年朝鮮核試驗的當量約爲1.2萬噸——是2009年試驗當量的兩倍多，爲1945年投到廣島的原子彈當量的五分之四。
Significantly, South Korean and US intelligence agencies see reason to believe North Korea’s claims that it has mastered the technology needed to produce a nuclear warhead small enough to be used with an intercontinental ballistic missile.
重要的是，韓國和美國的情報機構看到了相信朝鮮如下說法的理由：朝鮮已掌握了製造出可用於洲際彈道導彈的小型核彈頭的技術。
