South Korean military sources say there are signs that North Korea is preparing for a military parade.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the sources explained there are no indications that a North Korean military parade will be imminent but they need to watch carefully about the timing of such a parade.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported frequent movements of North Korean military trucks and personnel taking place at Mirim Airport outside Pyongyang. The airport has been used in the past for a rehearsal for a military parade.

The news agency said that North Korea could be preparing for a military parade on February 16, at the earliest, on the 80th anniversary of the birth of the late Kim Jong Il, the father of the current leader Kim Jong Un.

The North Korean calendar over the next few months is packed with several important anniversary dates.

North Korean media reported on Thursday that a policy-making politburo meeting of the ruling Workers' Party on Wednesday decided to hold major celebrations on two occasions. One is the 80th anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong Il, and the other, the 110th anniversary of the birth of current leader's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, on April 15.

The politburo meeting also hinted at lifting the self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and ICBM testing.

The last time North Korea held a military parade involving its regular army was in January 2021, when the parade featured a new submarine-launched ballistic missile named Pukguksong-5, or polestar-5.