A TV screen in Tokyo, Japan, reporting news about a North Korean missile launch on September 15, 2017.
Issei Kato | Reuters
South Korea's spy agency said on Monday it is possible North Korea can develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland this year and that it is monitoring developments closely.
No sign of an imminent nuclear test had been detected, though the North's Punggye-ri complex appears ready for another detonation "at any time", the agency told lawmakers.
North Korea, pursuing nuclear and missile programs in defiance of world condemnation, is also enforcing stronger controls on outside information in the face of international sanctions, the lawmakers said after a closed-door briefing.