SOUTH KOREA is bracing for another possible missile test by Kim Jong-un, but one event could take his hand off the launch button.

SOUTH KOREA is bracing for another possible missile test by Kim Jong-un, but one event could take his hand off the launch button.

SOUTH KOREA is closely watching North Korea over the possibility it may launch another intercontinental ballistic missile as soon as Saturday when it celebrates its founding anniversary.

Seoul’s Unification Ministry spokeswoman Eugene Lee said on Friday that Pyongyang could potentially conduct its next ICBM tests this weekend or around October 10, another North Korean holiday marking the founding of its ruling party.
However solar storms may disrupt any plans to test missiles.
Eruptions of mass and energy from the sun pose a threat to electronics meaning missiles could lose data or ancillary equipment.
Lance Gatling, an aerospace consultant with Nexial Research in Tokyo, told Bloomberg that this may be enough to stop Kim Jong-un unleashing another intercontinental ballistic missile.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s space weather prediction center, the current solar storm is a G4 level, which is considered severe.
It could affect power systems, spacecraft operations and other systems. It ccould cause Auroras to appear in the sky.
NASA has revealed a ‘mid-level solar flare’ peaked at 3.49am EDT today.
“This is the sixth sizable flare from the same active region since September 4,” NASA said.
The NOAA’s space weather prediction center states: “G4 (Severe) geomagnetic storm levels were observed at 2350 UTC (19:50 Eastern) on 07 September, again at 0151 UTC (21:51 Eastern) on 08 September and 1304 UTC (09:04 Eastern) due to effects from a coronal mass ejection.
“A G3 (Strong) or greater warning continues to be in effect until 1500 UTC (11:00 Eastern) on 08 September.”
But Gatling said that the US and Japan may wish to see a missile fired in order to test their tracking equipment in a solar storm.
North Korea has previously marked key dates with displays of military power, but now its tests appear to be driven by the need to improve missile capabilities.
The North is just coming off its sixth and the most powerful nuclear test to date in what it claimed was a detonation of a thermonuclear weapon built for its ICBMs.

The country tested its developmental Hwasong-14 ICBMs twice in July and analysts say the flight data from the launches indicate the missiles could cover a broad swath of the continental United States, including major cities such as Los Angeles and Chicago, when perfected.
North Korea fired the ICBMs at highly lofted angles in July to reduce ranges and avoid other countries. But South Korean officials say the next launches could be conducted at angles close to operational as the North would seek to test whether the warheads survive the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry and detonate properly.
MISSILE DEFENCE LAUNCHERS ADDED
South Korean President Moon Jae-in says more launchers were added to a contentious high-tech missile defense system because his country faces an unprecedented security threat from North Korea.
Moon also expressed regret over clashes between protesters and police that left dozens injured Thursday when the U.S. military added the four launchers to the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense System in rural Seongju.
A THAAD battery normally consists of six launchers that can fire up to 48 interceptor missiles, but only two launchers been operational at the site, on a former golf course.
Local residents worry about rumored health hazards related to the system’s high- powered radars and the possibility of being targeted in North Korean attacks.
The U.S. began installing the THAAD system under South Korea’s previous government. Moon temporarily halted the installation after taking office to conduct more environmental reviews and ease residents’ concerns. Since then, North Korea has launched two intercontinental ballistic missiles and conducted its sixth nuclear test. Moon said in a statement Friday that those created an unprecedented security threat for South Korea.