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By Park Si-soo; Chyung Eun-ju
North Korean appears to be preparing to launch another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICMB), the South Korean military said Monday.
In a separate announcement, Seoul's spy agency said the reclusive state might soon fire another ICBM toward the Pacific Ocean, possibly this week to celebrate the Day of the Foundation of the Republic on Sept. 9.
The National Intelligence Services (NIS) also raised the possibility that the North's next provocation would be to launch a ballistic missile from a submarine or submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
The NIS said the North appeared ready to conduct its seventh nuclear test at the site used for the sixth test on Sunday.
This move could further raise tensions here a day after Pyongyang conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear detonation.
Chang Kyung-soo, acting chief of the defense ministry's policy planning office, said at a parliamentary hearing, "We have continued to see signs of possibly more ballistic missile launches. We also forecast North Korea could fire an intercontinental ballistic missile."
At a separate hearing, NIS chief Suh Hoon told lawmakers that the North "could make additional provocations by firing an ICBM toward the North Pacific."
The spy chief said there were two more underground shafts undamaged by the Sunday detonation, and these could be used for another nuclear test.
South Korea conducted a live-fire drill with North Korea's main nuclear test site as the virtual target. The drill was meant to "strongly warn" Pyongyang.
South Korea earlier in the day paved the way for full deployment of a U.S. missile defense system.
The Environment Ministry conditionally approved an environmental impact report on the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) on Monday.
South Korea's defense ministry announced that U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) would soon install four more THAAD missile defense launchers at its new southern base.
Seoul and Washington also discussed deploying a U.S. carrier group and strategic bombers.
