South Korean authorities have asked Russia and China to help restrain North Korea from making military provocations as tensions increase on the Korean Peninsula.

"Through close coordination with China and Russia, the Korean government has been continuing to make efforts to persuade North Korea to change its attitude," Yonhap news agency quoted South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se as saying at a parliamentary committee meeting.

Yun confirmed Pyongyang has moved an intermediate-range Musudan ballistic missile to its east coast and is prepared to launch the missile "at any time from now."

In anticipation, the South Korea-US Combined Forces have raised their alert level to Watchcon 2, to increase surveillance monitoring, Yonhap quoted a senior military official as saying.

The Musudan missile, which has a range of 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles), could hit the US territory of Guam.

The United States has moved a missile defense system to Guam as a precautionary measure to intercept North Korean missiles if necessary.

Last week, North Korea asked foreign embassies based in Pyongyang to consider evacuating staff.

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