North Korea Reportedly Preparing For A Long-Range Ballistic Missile Test, Increased Movement Of Equipment And Personnel Detected At Launch Site

North Korea is causing another red alarm at the international community with its recent suspicious activities at its Tongchang-ri launch site which were interpreted by military officials as a possibility that the reclusive country is preparing to test a long-range ballistic missile.

The said activity by the North supported the claim by an unnamed Japanese government source which said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may be preparing for a missile launch as reported by Japan's Kyodo news agency last Thursday.

The increased movement of equipment and addition of personnel in the area came a day after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited China, which apparently is the closest ally of North Korea, on Wednesday. Kerry urged China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi to cooperate in pressuring North after its recent nuclear test, CNN News wrote.

"We estimate that the North can carry out a missile launch without a notice at any time after it extended its missile launch pad at the facility," an intelligence source said.

Experts estimated that last year's upgrades to the Sohae Satellite Launching Station could enable the new launch pad to accommodate a wider range of missiles and travel up to 13,000 kilometers, which is enough to propel one to the United States, as reported by Korea Times.

Meanwhile, both the U.S. and South Korea are discouraging the North from continuing the alleged missile launching which would constitute another violation to the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

"We urge North Korea to refrain from actions and rhetoric that threaten regional peace and security and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its international commitments and obligations," suggested Navy Commander Bill Urban, the spokesman of the U.S. Defense Department.

This is the second time this year that North Korea has caused provocation. On Jan. 6, Kim Jong Un proudly announced the "spectacular success" of its underground hydrogen bomb test, although the 5.1 magnitude tremor detected on seismic monitors had experts debunk his claim as they believed that it was too small for a hydrogen bomb.