美韓軍隊提高監視朝鮮的警戒等級

United States and South Korean forces have raised their alert level in anticipation of a possible North Korean missile test.

The South's semi-official Yonhap news agency Wednesday said the joint forces are now at "WatchCon 2," a level indicating a "vital threat."

North Korea is reported to be in the final stages of preparing for a mid-range missile test, placing many of its neighbors on edge.

Some analysts expect the test to occur sometime around the Monday birthday of Pyongyang's founding leader, Kim Il Sung.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung Se told lawmakers Wednesday the probability of a test is "very high" and said it could occur at any time.

The commander of the U.S. forces in the Pacific says any North Korean missile could be intercepted if it poses a direct threat to the U.S. or its allies.預計朝鮮可能進行導彈試射，美國和韓國軍隊提高了對朝鮮的警戒等級。

韓國半官方的韓聯社星期三說，美韓聯合部隊目前處於二級警戒狀態，這是在面臨嚴重威脅時刻採用的警戒等級。

據報朝鮮已經進入進行一次中程導彈試射的最後準備階段，這使很多鄰國感到憂慮。

一些分析人士預計，朝鮮這次導彈試射將於下星期一左右進行。下星期一是朝鮮建國領導人金日成的生日。

韓國外交部長官尹炳世星期三對韓國議員們說，朝鮮進行導彈試射的可能性“非常大”，並表示這次導彈試射隨時可能發生。

太平洋地區美軍司令說，如果朝鮮導彈對美國或美國盟友構成直接威脅，即可加以攔截。