A South Korean lawmaker said the nation's spy agency informed a committee Thursday that North Korea is preparing provocations, including an intercontinental ballistic missile launch, in protest at an upcoming summit between the leaders of South Korea, Japan and the United States.
The National Intelligence Service told a South Korean parliamentary intelligence committee that North Korea is preparing various provocations in response to the summit and joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises to be held next week, according to the ruling People Power Party lawmaker.
The trilateral summit will be hosted on Friday by U.S. President Joe Biden, with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attending. It will be held at the Camp David presidential retreat near Washington.
The NIS has observed increased activity around Sanum-dong, near Pyongyang, suggesting preparations for an ICBM launch, according to lawmaker Yoo Sang Bum.
Yoo, citing the NIS, confirmed the active movement of vehicles transporting materials from a liquid fuel factory and a solid fuel production facility in North Korea. He emphasized that these activities suggest the North might launch missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
At the summit, leaders will likely agree on increasing the frequency of joint military exercises among the three countries and enhancing real-time information sharing about North Korea's missile activities.
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