By Kim Hyo-jin

North Korea is showing signs of preparing for another ballistic missile test, reports said Tuesday, putting neighboring countries on alert.

The South Korean military is enhancing its monitoring and readiness against the North's potential missile provocation as customary signs seen before missile launches have been detected, sources said.

North Korea has reportedly resumed operating radar which tracks missile trajectories and increased communications traffic at its missile bases has been detected.

The Japanese government also intercepted radio signals from the North suggesting a potential missile launch and its forces have been put on alert, according to Kyodo News.

The reports come following a long hiatus since Pyongyang launched a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile over northern Japan into the Pacific Ocean, Sept. 15.

Why has North Korea been silent for more than two months? 2017-11-27 16:44  |  North Korea More countries pressed to expel North Korean diplomats 2017-11-26 17:15  |  North Korea Why China can't push North Korea harder 2017-11-23 17:51  |  North Korea The nuclear-armed country may resort to more military provocations, North Korea watchers have speculated, especially after the U.S. re-designated the country as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Asked about the media reports, the military replied that it and the U.S. are monitoring for the possibility of a missile test.

"The South Korean military is closely monitoring and tracking possible provocations by North Korea in collaboration with the U.S.," Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Army Col. Roh Jae-cheon said during a regular briefing.

U.S. defense ministry spokesman Army Col. Robert Manning also noted heightened readiness and monitoring.

"We watch North Korea very closely. We'll continue to do so," he told reporters. "The Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the U.S. alliance remains strong and capable of countering any North Korean provocations or attacks."

Speculation about the timing of Pyongyang's next move has been growing as its silence has continued for over two months.

North Korea will engage in significant weapons of mass destruction activities in the next 30 days and a new ballistic missile test is likely to happen around Dec. 17, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a Washington D.C. think tank, said Sunday based on its big data analysis.

Dec. 17 is the date the North commemorates ex-leader Kim Jong-il's death.

Meanwhile, other watchers refrained from conclusively speaking about a potential missile launch, saying the detected signs could be related to its winter military training.

Pyongyang has conducted conventional weapons-based military exercises from early December to late March annually.

（作者：产品中心）