The United States Pentagon is reportedly speculating that North Korea may mark its key anniversary in January or February with provocation as the Christmas holiday passed without a "gift" from the regime.
 
The Wall Street Journal said on Friday that the Pentagon is seeing a possibility that North Korea may engage in provocation around its leader Kim Jong-un's birthday on January 8 or the birthday of his late farther Kim Jong-il on February 16.
 
The WSJ said some South Korean officials raised the possibility that North Korea may not conduct a key weapon test until February 16.
 
When briefed on the South Korean assessment, a U.S. official reportedly predicted that North Korea will wait for changes in the U.S. attitude towards its handling of the denuclearization talks until the February anniversary. If Pyongyang sees no change, it would possibly carry out a long-range missile test or a submarine-launched ballistic missile test.
 
The WSJ said that after North Korea warmed earlier this month of a "Christmas gift" for Washington, defense officials across the Pacific prepared for the worst.
 
Quoting independent observers, the report said that U.S. reconnaissance flights near North Korea returned to levels of activity similar to those of 2017, when Washington was preparing for war with Pyongyang.
 
U.S. defense officials reportedly said that Washington sent a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Milius, to the East Sea to enhance surveillance on North Korea.