North Korea remains prepared to test a nuclear weapon and continues activity and construction at its primary nuclear enrichment facility, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated on Monday, calling the developments “deeply troubling.”

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi delivered the assessment ahead of the agency’s first board meeting of the year, as part of a longer report on general developments in nuclear security over the past six months.

Grossi said there has been continued construction at the DPRK’s nuclear test site in Punggye-ri since Sept. 2022, including work on tunnel number three as well as connecting