Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee says no unusual troop movements or power shifts in the North Korean military have been spotted since mid-August, the time when North Korean leader Kim Jong-il reportedly suffered a stroke.

Lee made the remarks on Thursday during his briefing of the latest North Korean developments before the parliamentary defense committee.

However, Lee was cautious about raising the South Korean military force’s defense readiness condition to level three from the current level four, citing the possibility of alarming people or provoking North Korea.

Regarding the North’s reported construction of a long-range missile base, the minister said the Seoul government is watching the developments closely.