Seoul, Jul 25 (IANS): South Korea on Tuesday urged North Korea to refrain from carrying out a new missile test and to make a "wise decision" about it.

"The government will sternly respond to North Korea's provocations. (I hope that) the North will make a wise decision," a spokesperson for the South Korean Unification Ministry said.

The statements came shortly after CNN reported that North Korea could be preparing to launch another missile to mark "Victory Day", as Pyongyang calls the anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War, reports Efe news.

The Kim Jong-un regime carried out its last ballistic test on July 4, when it first fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, with the alleged capability of reaching some parts of the US.

North Korea's repeated arms tests have escalated tensions on the Korean peninsula and led to Washington hardening its stance, with the Donald Trump administration even hinting at the possibility of pre-emptive strikes against the hermetic country.

Seoul proposed last week that both countries should hold military talks -- the first in almost three years -- to alleviate the current tensions, an offer to which Pyongyang has not yet officially responded.