North Korea nuclear test 'could take place this week' Analysts say a successful nuclear test would go some way to rebuilding the international "face" that the regime lost on April 13, when a rocket that North Korea claimed was carrying a satellite crashed just moments after launch. The United Nations Security Council condemned the launch, which most member states agreed was a test of a ballistic missile. On Sunday, the North Korean news agency announced that Kim Jong-un, the 29 year old who inherited the country after the death of his father in December, visited an exhibition of military technology and scientific developments in Pyongyang. The "Great Successor," as he is described to the impoverished North Korean people, praised the scientists for their achievements and called on them to redouble their efforts. Kim also attended military exercises last week, with state media claiming that he "guided" the manoeuvres. A group of defectors who have settled in the South launched 10 balloons over the border in North Korea at the weekend. The balloons were carrying 200,000 leaflets critical of the regime, around 1,000 $1 banknotes, DVDs and booklets. Activists have used similar tactics in the past to try to destabilise the regime and, possibly, foment a popular rising similar to those seen in Middle East nations over the last 18 months. Pyongyang has in the past reacted angrily to the incursions and threatened to carry out artillery strikes against the launch sites.