The military said it is maintaining a firm readiness posture after detecting signs of North Korea preparing for a test launch of its new inter-continental ballistic missile(ICBM) system.

An official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Monday that intelligence authorities from South Korea and the U.S. are keeping an eye out for related developments, while declining to predict the exact timing.

The allies are reportedly maintaining observation after spotting signs of the North preparing for an additional test, potentially occurring early this week.

The North previously conducted tests on February 27 and March 5 for what it claimed were for a reconnaissance satellite. South Korean and U.S. authorities, however, assess them to be cover for a new ICBM system, possibly the Hwasong-17.