Speculation that North Korea is planning to pull its ambassador out of the UK mounted today after a shipping container was pictured outside the London embassy.
Boxes were seen being loaded onto a large lorry parked outside the pariah state's embassy - an ordinary home in Ealing, west London.
The action comes after North Korea warned foreigners in South Korea to evacuate saying the two Koreas on the eve of nuclear war.
A large container was reversed into the North Korean embassy in west London today, leading speculation that the ambassador is being pulled out of the UK
Police held traffic so the container could be moved into position at the embassy in Ealing
Boxes were seen being brought out of the house into the waiting lorry, that had been reversed up to the door to try to shield the action from waiting cameras.
It has also warned the safety of foreigners in the North 'cannot be guaranteed' beyond next Wednesday.
However, the Foreign Office said it has no plans to pull out of Pyongyang.
North Korea yesterday denied it is leaving London and said ambassador Hyon Hak Bong is staying in the country.
A man who answered the phone at the embassy yesterday said only a secretary is moving at the end of his term.
A notice had been pinned to a tree outside the building advising drivers not to park as there will be 'loading work'.
When asked why the sign was there, he responded: 'One guy, a secretary is leaving the country at the end of his term. He asked for a van to carry all of his belongings.
Getting out? A sign outside the North Korean embassy suggests the ambassador could be quitting London - as there will be 'loading' on Tuesday morning
Quitting London? The seven-bedroom ordinary home that is the North Korean embassy where ambassador Hyon Hak Bong lives.
'There is a new secretary coming soon.'
He refused to give the name of the old secretary or say who the replacement will be.
Pressed on whether they were leaving, the official said 'no' and added 'The embassy is open every day. Call back tomorrow. There is no one here now.'
While other ambassadors get to live in some of Britain's most expensive properties near Hyde Park, North Korean Mr Bong has to put up with a modest 1920s home.
The seven-bedroom property, down the road from where Carry On star Sid James lived, has been home to the pariah state since 2003.
Demonstrators regularly gather outside the ordinary property which stands out only because of the 40ft flagpole in the garden.
Honour: Hyon Hak Bong, the North Korean ambassador, presents his credentials to the Queen in a private audience at Buckingham Palace last year.
Although they keep the blinds drawn down, neighbours said they were nice people.
One said: ‘We had some of the diplomats round for a drink once,’ he said. ‘They told us they love England.
‘But I suppose that’s no surprise coming from North Korea, is it? One of them said he was a big fan of The X Factor.’
Amid mounting tensions, Foreign Secretary William Hague yesterday insisted Britain 'should be concerned' about North Korea's activities.
He said the 'danger of miscalculation' by Kim Jong-un's regime, which had worked itself up into a 'frenetic state of rhetoric', must be considered.
South Korean troops did an exercise at the Korean border today and Japan has deployed missile interceptors in case of an attack by North Korea.
Japan's chief cabinet spokesman said the government is 'doing all we can to protect the safety of our nation'
Threats: Dictator Kim Jong-Un, pictured here pointing a pistol, has repeatedly threatened to attack South Korea and the US