Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Tae-young says that North Korea may provoke clashes with South Korea through various channels.

He said the latest military analysis suggests that, should the North attack, it may use a strategy in which it distracts enemies in the east while descending from the west.

Kim made the statement during a meeting of the parliamentary committee on national defense Thursday. He was answering a question posed by a Grand National Party legislator who asked about the possibility of North Korea provoking a clash with the South.

Kim added that South Korean and U.S. military officials are holding early-morning meetings everyday to discuss the North’s recent provocations, including the possible test launch of a long-range missile. He said after analyzing moves made by the North in the past 15 years, there was a 50-50 chance the communist state would follow up its rhetoric with some kind of serious provocation. Kim said Seoul is making necessary preparations for all scenarios.