North Korea has reportedly begun the long process of fuelling the long-range rocket that is currently standing assembled on the launch pad at Dongchang-ri, Cheolsan County, a westerly corner of North Pyongan Province.
The South Korean government reached this conclusion based on intelligence concerning movements of people and vehicles involved in the fuelling process.
According to Seoul, this involves filling a fuel storage tank at the base, which will then be employed to inject fuel into the rocket itself. The tank lies 80m from the launch pad.
Based on technical calculations, the authorities predict that the fuel injection process will begin on Saturday or Sunday. If so, the rocket would be ready for launch at any time after the 10th, once technical checks have been carried out, political considerations have been addressed and the weather is deemed to be favorable.
