NORTH Korea could be preparing to fire 30 rocket missiles at China next week amid rumours Kim Jong-Un is angry his ally sided with the US over tough sanctions.
The hermit kingdom was spotted transporting 30 Scud missiles from Hwangju, south of the capital Pyongyang, to Nampo, in the west of the country.
It is believed Nampo holds a number of rocket facilities, including a military shipyard where submarine-launched ballistic missiles are loaded onto Kim’s subs.
And experts have warned the tubby tyrant is getting ready for a major show of force next Wednesday - as the Chinese Communist Party holds its 19th Congress.
Kim Jong-Un is thought to be angry with China after North Korea’s only ally sided with Donald Trump to slap sanctions on the hermit kingdom.
Now the chubby despot hopes to remind Chinese premier Xi Jinping he won’t be cowed with a shocking show of his military might.
Nampo, on the western coast of the secretive nation, is out of range of Japan and the US territory of Guam.
But missiles fired from the military base could reach key targets in China, such as Dalia at 328 miles away, and Qindao at 200 miles away.
Both are major seaports just across the Yellow Sea from North Korea.
The South Korean capital Seoul is also just 121 miles from Nampo.
While it may seem unlikely Kim would launch an attack on his only ally and communist neighbour, the dictator could order for the rockets to be fired into the sea.
The move would maintain relations with China, but would also send a message to Xi Jinxing that North Korea is still a force to be reckoned with.
North Korea has sparked serious concerns World War 3 could break out with a series of missile tests this year - including two Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missiles believed to be capable of hitting mainland US in July.
And Pyongyang is adamant on continuing Kim’s nuclear programme despite a string of increasingly volatile threats from Donald Trump.
Last night American lawyer and former diplomat John Bolton said “we are down to two choices” amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula”.
Speaking on Twitter, he added: “We’re down to two choices with North Korea: either eliminate the regime or eliminate the nuclear weapons.”
The former ambassador has been named as a possible replacement for US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and was seen outside the White House on Wednesday.
The news comes as China stirred up even more tensions between North and South Korea after officials blocked plans to extend a £42billion currency swap.
The eight-year deal was due to be continued in a positive step towards improving relations between Seoul and Beijing.
But tensions between the states have been frayed over South Korea’s recent instalment of a controversial US missile shield, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system, to counter an attack from North Korea.
And now authorities in Beijing have now blocked the extension and failed to renew the deal seen as vital in the region, according to reports.