South Korea's defense ministry says the country's military will take the necessary measures to protect the lives and safety of South Korean people if North Korea presses ahead with its plan to launch what it calls a satellite.
A ministry spokesperson talked to reporters on Tuesday after Pyongyang informed Japan that it will conduct the launch between November 22 and November 30.
The spokesperson denounced the planned move, saying the provocative act would clearly violate UN Security Council resolutions and threaten South Korea's security.
The South Korean military made similar remarks in a statement on Monday.
South Korean media reported that the remarks apparently hint at a partial suspension of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. Under the pact, no-fly zones have been set near the military demarcation line between the two Koreas.
The spokesperson also said an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, arrived in the southeastern city of Busan on Tuesday.
South Korean military sources say its arrival is based on a previously arranged plan.
The South Korean Navy says the vessel's visit demonstrates the South Korea-US alliance's solid combined defense posture to respond to advancing North Korean nuclear and missile threats.