As U.S. President Donald Trump grapples with domestic crises and transition issues, the country that is widely seen as representing his largest foreign policy challenge is gearing up some 10,000 km away to test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of striking the United States.

North Korea, for all its bluster and bombast, is likely to present Trump with his first real test as Pyongyang seeks to gauge how the new president will approach the hermit nation's progressing nuclear and missile programs. An ICBM launch, or another type of weapons test, is expected to come sooner rather than later, with some experts saying the Pyongyang is likely to prod Washington and Seoul in the next few months.

Reports last month said that North Korea had apparently built two missiles presumed to be ICBMs and placed them on mobile launchers for test-firing in the near future. It appeared to have intentionally leaked this news to send a "strategic message" to Trump just ahead of his inauguration, media reports said.