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A monitor at Seoul Station displays news coverage related to North Korea’s launch of a presumed SLBM on May 7. (Yonhap News)

The office of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stated that while it is unlikely that North Korea will conduct a nuclear test during US President Joe Biden’s upcoming visit to South Korea, preparations for a missile launch are imminent. Meanwhile, the US has also raised concerns that North Korea is preparing for a seventh nuclear test.

“The possibility that North Korea will conduct a nuclear test by this weekend is low,” Kim Tae-hyo, first deputy director of the National Security Office, said during a briefing about the upcoming South Korea-US summit on Wednesday.

“However, preparations for the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile are considered imminent,” Kim added.

“In the event of a large or small provocation [by North Korea] during the course of the three-day South Korea-US summit, according to the nature of the provocation, a plan B has been created so that the leaders of South Korea and the US can immediately enter the command system of the South Korea-US combined defense posture, even if the schedule is changed,” Kim said.

Biden will arrive in South Korea on Friday for the summit the next day. He’ll stay for three days and two nights before heading to Japan for the Quad summit.

Intelligence from the US has corresponded with what officials are saying in South Korea. An American official speaking on the condition of anonymity told CNN on Tuesday that, based on the latest information, North Korea appears to be preparing to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile within 48 to 96 hours.

According to the official, satellite imagery shows movement similar to that in the past soon before North Korea tested an ICBM, adding that the expected launch location will be near Pyongyang.

Although CNN did not share the specific details of what exactly the satellite had picked up, it did mention the installation of launcher equipment, fuel injection, and movement of vehicles and personnel as signs of a possible imminent launch. The location designated as the expected launch site is believed to be the airport in Sunan, near Pyongyang, from where North Korea has fired several ballistic missiles this year.

The US has also repeatedly raised concerns that North Korea is preparing for a seventh nuclear test.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in the US, said on Tuesday that “continued activity outside the new portal for Tunnel No. 3 shows support equipment for ongoing work inside the tunnel.”

Given this information, it seems that North Korea is willing to carry out a nuclear test despite an explosion in the number of local COVID-19 cases.

Earlier, the White House had also expressed concern that North Korea could conduct a seventh nuclear test this month.

By Lee Bon-young, Washington correspondent; Kim Mi-na, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]