US, South Korea Monitoring North Korea For Possible Missile Strike

South Korea and the United States are closely monitoring North Korea after reports Monday and Tuesday suggested there are signs of missile testing taking place in the North.

According to a report Tuesday by South Korean news organization Yonhap News Agency, spokesman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Col. Roh Jae-cheon said, “The South Korean military is closely monitoring and tracking possible North Korean provocations in collaboration with the U.S.”

The report also quoted a government source as saying that in recent weeks, signs of activity were detected in North Korean missile bases.

The source went on to say, “More monitoring is needed to gauge whether the North is trying to launch a missile or is preparing for winter training that starts in December.”

The source also added North Korea was believed to be operating a radar which tracked the flight path of missiles and according to certain signals that were identified, the use of communication devices had increased in North Korean missile bases a day ago.

The South Korean military, Washington and Japan are sharing related information and are also keeping a close eye on the developments in North Korea, according to the source.

This comes after a Japanese news report Monday that the country had caught radio signals which suggested North Korea might be preparing itself for a ballistic missile launch. According to a report by Kyodo News, the Japanese government went on high alert after they caught the radio signals.

A government source reportedly said, “North Korea might launch a missile within the next few days.”

The source further said satellite images didn’t show a movable launch pad or even a missile, and the radio signals might be related to the winter training session of the North Korean military.

The report also stated that North Korea has been relatively quiet for some time as it didn’t conduct a nuclear test, or even a missile test, since Sept. 15, when it launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile over northern Japan that fell into the Pacific Ocean.

According to analysts, North Korea might resort to more provocative military attacks after President Donald Trump put Pyongyang on the list of state sponsors of terrorism Nov. 20. But tensions between the U.S. and North Korea were high even before November, after Trump, in his speech at the United Nations on Sept. 19, vowed to “totally destroy North Korea."

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in a retaliatory statement Sept. 22, said Trump should “exercise prudence” while making a speech in front of the whole world and also taunted the U.S. president as showing “mentally deranged behavior.”