South Korea and the U.S. have apparently raised their Watch Condition or WATCHCON from level three to two as North Korea appears to be close to launching a long-range rocket.

WATCHCON is an alert state system that measures the reconnaissance posture of the armed forces of South Korea and the U.S. to track the military activities in North Korea. The system is raised to level two when indications of a vital threat are posed by North Korea.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Jung Seung-jo, spoke on the phone with his U.S. counterpart General Martin Dempsey and the head of the U.S. Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel Locklear. The three discussed the North’s planned launch and ways to boost South Korea-U.S. cooperation.

The senior military officials shared the view that the North’s rocket launch is a serious provocation and in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The officials agreed to closely watch the North and to cooperate to prepare for any additional provocations from the North, including a potential third nuclear test.