Huge damage to the site suggests it may not withstand another hit after Kim Jong-un’s rapidly accelerating nuclear programme has decimated the area.
South Korean defence sources told news agency Yonhap the North would struggle to prepare the site for more ballistic tests.
The defence source said dictator Kim Jong-un could also simply be waiting for US President Donald Trump’s upcoming trip to northeast Asia, when a test could act as a show of strength.
However they also speculated Kim will be weighing up his options as the mountainous region where tests are held could collapse under the pressure of repeated hits.
Images of the region before and after tests show it has seen landslides and collapses, while there have been multiple earthquakes in recent weeks, despite little precedent for earthquakes in the area.
The South Korean source added: “If it tries to send a meaningful message to the world with another nuclear test, it would require a more powerful bomb. North Korea will consider whether it will keep testing nuclear weapons there, including a review of topography.”
Chinese officials have also warned the mountainous area, where North Korea has held five out of six nuclear tests, could collapse with deadly consequences.
The implosion of the mountains could then lead dangerous radiation to waft around the surrounding terrain with potentially devastating consequences.
Experts suggest that North Korea’s Mount Mantap, a 7,200-feet-peak under North Korea is suffering from “tired mountain syndrome.”
The mountain visibly shifted during the last nuclear test, an enormous blast that was recorded as a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in North Korea’s northeast, according to The Washington Post.
There are also fears that another blast could trigger the collapse of Mount Paektu, an active volcano on the North Korea-China border, about 80 miles from Pyungge-ri.
However North Korea’s nuclear testing programme shows no signs of slowing down as the hermit dictatorship builds an arsenal capable of starting World War 3.
Pyongyang remains defiant and Kim has not ruled out carrying out more tests.
Nam Hyok-Tsen a spokesman from the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s U.S. Studies Department, made Kim’s position clear.
He said on Friday that Pyongyang intended to continue its nuclear testing programme in the interests of self-defence and accused President Trump of playing “nuclear football.”
Nam said in Moscow: “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is constantly being convinced that developing nuclear weapons is the right choice. And we are strengthening our intention to conduct tests in order to offset the nuclear threat from the U.S.”