‘The calm before the storm. You’ll find out,’ Trump says

Along with an observation that North Korea will go on a massive provocation around Oct. 10, the anniversary of its communist party foundation, the North is reportedly getting ready for launching inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM). “As the North has been preparing to launch a long-range missile, we are closely watching the situation,” a high-level official of Cheong Wa Dae said on Saturday. “If the North makes a provocation, we will respond firmly and sternly.”

South Korean military authorities are also expressing concerns that the North’s more powerful provocation than its previous ones may heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula. There is also an observation that the North is likely to test-fire a Hwasong-13 type missile, estimated to be a new type of ICBM with solid fuel, which is capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, to flex its muscles, or fire a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) at the same time, to maximize the impact of its provocation.

“North Korea is preparing to test a long-range missile which it believes can reach the west coast of the United States,” Russian lawmaker Anton Morozov who just returned from a visit to Pyongyang, was quoted as saying on Friday (local time) in an interview with Russian state news agency RIA.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday “you will find out” what he said about “the calm before the storm” after attending the Manufacturing Day at the White house. President Trump had a dinner meeting Thursday evening with senior military leaders at the White House to discuss security issues such as North Korea and Iran, and as he posed for photos, he told reporters that “you know what this present? Maybe it’s the calm before the storm,” which is later interpreted as a possible military action against North Korea.