Defense officials in South Korea and the U.S. are closely monitoring signs that North Korea may be preparing to test-fire a long-range ballistic missile.

The U.S. recently informed South Korea and Japan that it had detected via satellite North Korea transporting something shaped like a missile component from a weapons factory in Pyongyang to its missile assembly base in Dongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reported Friday.

“We are closely monitoring North Korea’s movements (on the possible situation),” said an official with South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

South Korean government and defense officials confirmed that North Korea would likely “move in the direction” reported by the Japanese newspaper.

Also, the vehicle that carried the object looked like the one North Korea used for the failed launch in April. North Korea then stated that it was aiming to launch a satellite rocket into orbit.

Last week, Johns Hopkins University’s U.S.-Korea Institute said that it had detected North Korea testing rocket engines at the Sohae launch pad, in the country’s northern region near the border with China, the site used for the launch in April.

The institute said that North Korea could launch another rocket in the first half of next year, or conduct nuclear tests. Asahi reported that North Korea could test-fire next week ahead of South Korea’s presidential election.

On Thursday, Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin warned that there was a high chance that the North could make another provocative move after the Dec. 19 presidential election.

Minister Kim visited an army base in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province and ordered his troops to strengthen its military preparedness for North Korean provocations.

“The North could make a provocative move to influence the new government after the presidential election,” he said.

Minister Kim said South Korea must use a “club” when countering a bully that asks to cough up money, adding that this was the only way to deal with the North’s provocations.

Kim’s remark comes as South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff launched a military drill on Friday to mark the second anniversary of South Korea’s victory over North Korea’s shelling on Yeongpyeongdo, near the inter-Korean de facto maritime border of the Northern Limit Line.

The JCS said in a press release that North Korea would regret it if it were to make a provocative move against South Korea.

North Korea has warned that South Korea’s claim of victory on Yeongpyeongdo and its military exercise will lead to another “sea of fire” on the island.

By Park Hyong-ki (hkp@heraldcorp.com)