South Korean soldiers at a border village in the demilitarised zone (Picture: AFP/Getty)

South Korea has admitted it expects a North Korean missile test to coincide with its neighbour preparing to mark the birthday of its ‘eternal’ founder.

Seoul defence ministry officials said a missile test could come any day, with the days around the April 15 birthday of Kim Il-sung – who died in 1994 – typically associated with attention-grabbing military parades and other events.

Officials in Washington, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Reuters news agency they anticipated two missile launches by North Korea in the coming days.

State media released several images of North Koreans marking the transition of power from Kim Il-sung to his son (Picture: EPA)

This time last year Pyongyang failed in a satellite launch derided by the South and the US as a cover for a missile test.




Since then the North, led by Kim’s grandson Kim Jong-un, carried out a successful missile launch last December and a third underground nuclear test in February.

That nuclear test was followed by United Nations sanctions that have seen tensions on the Korean peninsula escalate to arguably their highest point since the Korean War ended with an armistice in 1953.

Nuclear rhetoric from North Korea has increased markedly since a February underground test (Picture: EPA)

Admiral Samuel Locklear, commander of US pacific command, told the Senate armed services committee in Washington yesterday that he agreed with this assessment by senator John McCain.

‘The continued advancement of the North’s nuclear and missile programmes, its conventional force posture, and its willingness to resort to asymmetric actions as a tool of coercive diplomacy creates an environment marked by the potential for miscalculation,’ Adm Locklear said.

Pyongyang has already warned foreigners in South Korea to leave the country as it cannot guarantee their safety in the advent of nuclear war.