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The US President is scheduled to visit the South Korean side of the the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the start of November.

Trump is widely expected to send a stern message to North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong-un over his nuclear and missile programmes.

The rogue state has fired 22 missiles during 15 tests since February – two of which were ICBMs – and one nuclear test, its sixth and largest, in 2017.

In recent weeks the secretive state has not provoked Trump, who branded Kim “little rocket man”, by conducting more tests.

But a South Korean defence insider believes that the North may be waiting for Trump to visit the region, according to Yonhap News Agency.

(Image: GETTY)

"When it comes to its nuclear and missile development, the process is still going on," the source said.

“North Korea may be waiting for US President Donald Trump to come to Northeast Asia and his message (during the upcoming trip).”

And as secret pictures of his army emerge, Kim is thought to be carefully considering the “political timing” of his next nuclear or missile test, the source said.

North Korea has form for provocations on major anniversaries, but its founding date on October 10 surprisingly passed without incident.

(Image: GETTY)

Trump's speech may be the next big opportunity for Kim to show the US he means business.

“The possibility of North Korea's additional provocations remains open all the time,” the source said, despite the recent slowdown in aggressive actions.

Trump is set to visit Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines on a tour that starts on November 2.

(Image: GETTY)

Trump and Kim have been exchanging savage verbal blows in recent months as tensions on the Korean peninsula reach fever pitch.

Trump has previously threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea, and yesterday said that the US army is “totally prepared” for war in an interview.

But Kim has repeatedly defied Trump’s threats by testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles thought to be capable of reaching the US.

There are concerns that his visit may provoke a reaction from the communist nation.

Sue Mi Terry, a former Korea analyst, said: "They're seeing almost everything as a threat.

"They already see him as a very provocative person.

"Anything that he does will be continually seen that way."