North Korea to launch missile in three days: US sources

North Korea is gearing up for launching an intermediate-range ballistic missile in the next three days, US sources says.

Citing two unidentified US officials, Fox Business Network reported on Tuesday that Pyongyang has planned the launch for between 24 and 72 hours.

The launch, which is to be the latest in a series of previous attempts, comes following two other failed launches in the past month.

North Korea has been testing different types of missiles at an unprecedented rate this year, and the capability to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile is especially considered a threat by its neighbors, South Korea and Japan, as well as the United States.

North Korea conducted its fifth and biggest nuclear test on September 9, prompting the UN Security Council to announce that it would begin to prepare a fresh round of sanctions against Pyongyang in the wake of its recent nuclear test.

Despite sanctions and international pressure, Pyongyang has pledged to strengthen its military capability to protect itself from the threat posed by the presence of US forces in the region.

Pyongyang says it will not abandon its nuclear military program unless Washington ends its hostile policy toward North Korea and dissolves the US-led command in South Korea. Thousands of US soldiers are stationed in South Korea and Japan.

A recent source of tensions is the controversial deployment of the US Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system in South Korea. The system is scheduled to be installed by the end of 2017 to defend the South against what Seoul and Washington claim to be nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

The UN has adopted five rounds of crippling sanctions on Pyongyang since it first tested an atomic device in 2006.