North Korea: South Korea detects signs of another missile launch

North Korea may be planning to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile toward the North Pacific this weekend.

South Korea's Hyunmoo II ballistic missile is fired during an exercise at an undisclosed location in South Korea today.

North Korea may be planning to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile toward the North Pacific as early as this weekend, according to South Korean intelligence.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told MPs in a closed session Pyongyang could fire the missile to mark the anniversary of the regime’s foundation on Saturday, or the establishment of the Workers’ Party of Korea on October 10

“There is a possibility that the North would fire an ICBM on a standard trajectory,” the NIS told MPs, according to Yonhap news agency.

Earlier, Seoul said it had detected signs that the North was preparing another missile launch,

The South Korean defence ministry said it could involve an intercontinental ballistic missile.

The ministry said signs that North Korea was “preparing for another ballistic missile launch have consistently been detected since Sunday’s test”, referring to Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test.

It did not give details, or indicate when a launch might take place. Sunday’s blast had a strength of 50 kilotons, defence ministry officials told a parliamentary briefing.

Meanwhile China has made a diplomatic protest to Pyongyang over Sunday’s nuclear test, but slammed Donald Trump’s threat to cut off trade with countries that deal with the rogue regime.

Mr Trump said on Twitter the US is considering halting trade with “any country doing business with North Korea.” His remarks came after Pyongyang on Sunday triggered global alarm with by far its most powerful test to date, after it claimed it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be mounted onto a long-range missile, which analysts say is a major advancement in its nuclear program.

Beijing described the tweet as “unacceptable.” Geng Shuang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, told reporters in Beijing on Monday that China regarded as “unacceptable a situation in which on the one hand we work to resolve this issue peacefully but on the other hand our own interests are subject to sanctions and jeopardised.

“This is neither objective nor fair.”

Earlier today, US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis warned North Korea that threats to the US and its allies “will be met with a massive military response”.

General Mattis spoke at the White House on Sunday following a meeting with Mr Trump and national security advisers. He said any response will be “both effective and overwhelming”.

General Mattis said the United States is “not looking to the total annihilation” of North Korea, but added “we have many options to do so”.

On Sunday North Korea claimed the explosive power of their nuclear test was estimated to be 50 kilotons.

That would make it five times the size of the North’s previous test in September last year, and more than three times bigger than the US device that destroyed Hiroshima in 1945.

The official did not confirm whether the tested device was a hydrogen bomb but said “a variety of nuclear material” appeared to have been used.

The North — which in July carried out two intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches that apparently brought much of the US mainland into range — has rapidly made progress with its weapons program in defiance of seven sets of UN sanctions.

AFP