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The hermit kingdom was spotted transporting 30 Scud missiles from Hwangju, south of the capital Pyongyang, to Nampo, in the west of the country. It is believed Nampo holds a number of rocket facilities, including a military shipyard where submarine-launched ballistic missiles are loaded onto Kim’s subs. And experts have warned the tubby tyrant is getting ready for a major show of force next Wednesday - as the Chinese Communist Party holds its 19th Congress. Kim Jong-Un is thought to be angry with China after North Korea’s only ally sided with Donald Trump to slap sanctions on the hermit kingdom.

Now the chubby despot hopes to remind Chinese premier Xi Jinping he won’t be cowed with a shocking show of his military might. Nampo, on the western coast of the secretive nation, is out of range of Japan and the US territory of Guam. But missiles fired from the military base could reach key targets in China, such as Dalia at 328 miles away, and Qindao at 200 miles away - and both are major seaports just across the Yellow Sea from North Korea. The South Korean capital Seoul is also just 121 miles from Nampo. The reports come as a series of new tremors and landslides have hit North Korea after an earthquake was recorded last night which could cause the collapse of the hermit kingdom’s nuclear bomb test site. Experts suggest the quake, which measured 2.9 on the Richter scale, could mean the region has be destabilised by the country’s September 3 hydrogen bomb test, which caused a 6.3 magnitude earthquake And they warned the Punggye-ri nuclear site may not be used for much longer to test nuclear weapons.

REUTERS - EPA North Korea: Kim Jong Un could strike China in a warning to Xi Jinping

North Korea transported 30 Scud missiles from Hwangju to Nampo

While it may seem unlikely Kim would launch an attack on his only ally and communist neighbour, the dictator could order for the rockets to be fired into the sea. The move would maintain relations with China, but would also send a message to Xi Jinxing that North Korea is still a force to be reckoned with. North Korea has sparked serious concerns World War 3 could break out with a series of missile tests this year - including two Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missiles believed to be capable of hitting mainland US in July. And Pyongyang is adamant on continuing Kim’s nuclear programme despite a string of increasingly volatile threats from Donald Trump. Last night American lawyer and former diplomat John Bolton said “we are down to two choices” amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula”.

Is Kim Jong-un developing more advanced ballistic missiles? Wed, August 23, 2017 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un looks on during a visit to the Chemical Material Institute of the Academy of Defense Science Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 8 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un gives field guidance during a visit to the Chemical Material Institute of the Academy of Defense Science in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang

Speaking on Twitter, he added: “We’re down to two choices with North Korea: either eliminate the regime or eliminate the nuclear weapons.” The former ambassador has been named as a possible replacement for US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and was seen outside the White House on Wednesday. The news comes as China stirred up even more tensions between North and South Korea after officials blocked plans to extend a £42billion currency swap. The eight-year deal was due to be continued in a positive step towards improving relations between Seoul and Beijing. But tensions between the states have been frayed over South Korea’s recent instalment of a controversial US missile shield, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, to counter an attack from North Korea. And now authorities in Beijing have now blocked the extension and failed to renew the deal seen as vital in the region, according to reports.

REUTERS Kim Jong-Un is thought to be angry with China

REUTERS North Korea has sparked serious concerns World War 3 could break out

China is considered North Korea's only remaining ally and repeatedly issued warnings to the US to calm its aggressive rhetoric on the Korean conflict. Yesterday Beijing warned Donald Trump his threats against North Korea could “backfire bigly” and lead to a “catastrophic war”. As the crisis deepens, Chinese newspaper the People’s Daily has urged both nations to “cool it” on Tuesday. "War on the Korean Peninsula would be catastrophic, and dialogue remains the best option," the state-owned paper warned. "His threats seem to be part of a larger strategy, coherent or not, to instil fear in Pyongyang, so that it will agree to US demands to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes.”

EPA Experts say Kim is getting ready for a major show of force