What is the sequence of events at the Punggye-ri site between 2018 and 2022?

What is the sequence of events at the Punggye-ri site between 2018 and 2022?

• A. It was permanently decommissioned.
• B. It was expanded for new tests.
• C. The tunnels were destroyed in 2018 and never restored.
• D. The tunnels were destroyed in 2018 but later restored by 2022.

Answer: (D)

The sequence hinges on a two-part reality: an initial demolition followed by later changes that suggested rework rather than a simple, final end. In 2018, North Korea publicly dismantled the Punggye-ri site, destroying or sealing the tunnels to signal an end to tests there. But-by 2022, reports and imagery indicated changes at the site that could be read as restoration or at least reconfiguration, rather than a clean, irreversible permanent shutdown or an expansion for new tests. So the timeline reads as tunnels destroyed in 2018 with subsequent restoration-type activity by 2022, rather than a permanent, unchanging decommission or an expansion for further testing.

The sequence hinges on a two-part reality: an initial demolition followed by later changes that suggested rework rather than a simple, final end. In 2018, North Korea publicly dismantled the Punggye-ri site, destroying or sealing the tunnels to signal an end to tests there. But-by 2022, reports and imagery indicated changes at the site that could be read as restoration or at least reconfiguration, rather than a clean, irreversible permanent shutdown or an expansion for new tests. So the timeline reads as tunnels destroyed in 2018 with subsequent restoration-type activity by 2022, rather than a permanent, unchanging decommission or an expansion for further testing.