North Korea nuke launch fears as Kim Jong-un mysteriously vanishes from public eye… just as he did before the last two missile launches
KIM Jong-un appears to have vanished from the public eye - raising fears another missile launch could be imminent.
The North Korean dictator hasn't been seen for more than two weeks, since he was pictured by state media on July 28 celebrating the test launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile.
His withdrawal from public events mirrors the weeks before North Korea's last two test missile launches.
There are fears tomorrow's public holiday to mark the Korean Peninsula's liberation from Japan at the end of World War Two could be used to fire a new rocket, according to South Korean news outlet .
North Korea has previously threatened to fire four Hwasong-12 rockets to land in the sea 17 miles from Guam ‘by mid-August’.
Kim had threatened to strike the US territory in an escalation of tensions with the United States.
US President Donald Trump has warned North Korea it is "locked and loaded" and to expect "fire and fury" if the threats are carried out.
The UN has already passed sanctions as North Korea continues to develop its weapons programme and carry out test launches.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo also told Fox News yesterday that he would not be surprised if another test were carried out.
He said: "I am quite confident that Kim will continue to try to develop his missile programme, so it wouldn't surprise me if there was another missile test."
Satellite images have also shown activity in the area of a submarine, similar to movements seen when preparations were made for a missile test in August last year.
In a statement released last week by the North Korea's KCNA media channel, the dictatorship vowed to mercilessly wipe out the provocateurs making desperate efforts to "stifle” their leader, Kim Jong-un.
Guam is situated around 1,500 miles to the west of the Philippines and just over 2,000 miles from North Korea.
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Crucially, the island is also a strategic US military outpost and is home to more than 6,000 US service personnel.
American military bases occupy nearly 30 per cent of Guam’s land, including the Andersen Air Force Base and the Naval Base Guam.