North Korea Preparing for Military Provocations: South Korean Spy Agency

People sit near a television showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul, on Nov. 18, 2022. Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images

South Korea’s spy agency warned on Aug. 17 that North Korea may be preparing for “military provocations” amid a trilateral summit between the leaders of the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers in a closed-door meeting that it observed “unusually active” vehicle movements at North Korea’s solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) production site.

“Active activities of vehicles supporting ICBM launches have been detected in Pyongyang,” lawmaker Yoo Sang-bum told reporters, according to Yonhap News Agency (YNA).

Pyongyang is the capital city of North Korea.

“We are continuously identifying signs of preparation for an ICBM launch, such as the frequent movements of propellants out of liquid fuel factories,” the lawmaker added.

The NIS also anticipated a second launch of North Korea’s military reconnaissance satellite in late August or September following its failed satellite launch on May 31, which crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff due to an engine malfunction.

This came as the leaders of the United States, Japan, and South Korea prepared to hold a trilateral summit for the first time at Camp David, in Maryland, on Aug. 18 to discuss expanding trilateral cooperation.

The NIS noted that North Korea could conduct military provocations in response to the U.S.-South Korea joint military exercise, dubbed the Ulchi Freedom Shield, which will be held for 11 days starting on Aug. 21.

Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder reaffirmed on Aug. 17 that the joint exercises are defensive in nature and designed to enhance alliance commitments in ensuring stability in the region.

“We’ve been very clear that we’re going to maintain robust communication with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies as well as those other countries and partners and allies in the region to make sure that we can deter potential aggression,” he told reporters.

Mr. Ryder said that Washington has repeatedly highlighted its willingness to engage diplomatically with North Korea without any preconditions “to which this point they [North Korea] have chosen not to do that.”

Russia Seeks Joint Exercise With North Korea

Mr. Yoo said that “a working-level Russian official” was spotted traveling to North Korea on a military aircraft between Aug. 1 and Aug. 2, YNA reported.

The NIS also detected a Russian cargo plane departing North Korea on Aug. 8 with “unidentified” military supplies.

“Russia appears to have suggested sales of shells and missiles and conducting a joint military exercise while North Korea likely requested rentals of weapons produced in the West and technical assistance,” he said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (C) talks with Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong (R) as they and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (L) attend a military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice that halted fighting in the 1950–53 Korean War, on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 27, 2023. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP

Flight tracking website Flightradar24 shows the Russian Air Force Ilyushin IL-62M took off from Moscow on July 31 and landed in North Korea. The plane returned to Moscow on Aug. 2, according to reports.

The flight occurred just days after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on July 27.

Mr. Shoigu, along with Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong, were invited to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.

Mr. Shoigu’s visit to North Korea signaled growing military relations between the two nations, and the United States expressed concern about North Korea potentially aiding Russia in its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“Obviously, we’ve seen close cooperation between Russia and North Korea,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing on Aug. 7.

“We have made clear our concerns about North Korea seeking to assist Russia in its aggression in Ukraine. We will continue to make those concerns clear, and we will continue to enforce all of our sanctions,” he added.

North Korea has been ramping up tension with South Korea and the United States by testing various weapons, including its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile. Since the start of 2022, North Korea has fired more than 100 missiles.

Many of the missiles tested were nuclear-capable weapons that place both South Korea and Japan within striking distance and could potentially reach the United States.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.