North Korea embassy: Removal van loads up outside Ealing semi where secretive state is based Large lorry with shipping container pictured outside North Korean embassy Country deny ambassador Hyon Hak Bong is quitting Britain Say huge removal van is for a secretary's belongings who is going back to North Korea after his term ended There was speculation that North Korea may have pulled its ambassador out of Britain after a removal truck was seen at its suburban west London embassy yesterday. Boxes were loaded into a shipping container at the property in Ealing. An official at the property denied that it was being evacuated, saying that speculation of a withdrawal from Britain was 'ridiculous and not true'. A large container was reversed into the North Korean embassy in west London, 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 But the man, who refused to give his name, would not explain why possessions were being removed from the building or say whether ambassador Hyon Hak Bong was relocating. He said: 'I won't say anything about this. We have said everything we are going to say to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The country's regime has a reputation for extreme secrecy, such as censoring its citizens and allowing only a small number of visitors through its borders, who are closely monitored during their stay. Speculation that the country's ambassador was preparing to leave the UK was prompted earlier this week when a sign appeared on a tree outside the property warning that 'loading' would take place on Tuesday. An individual at the property previously said that a secretary was leaving the UK having come to the end of his term and that a replacement secretary would arrive shortly afterwards. The seven-bedroom property, which has been North Korea's embassy since 2003, is often a focal point for demonstrations against the oppressive regime. Built in the 1920s in a residential suburb, it is a far cry from the more luxurious ambassadorial properties of other nations in central London. 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 The move came on the day that North Korea sent more shivers through the international community by warning foreigners living in South Korea to flee because the region was on the verge of nuclear war. 'The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching close to a thermonuclear war ... North Korea does not want to see foreigners in South Korea fall victim to the war,' the government mouthpiece, KCNA news agency, said. All foreign institutions and enterprises and foreigners, including tourists, are requested to take measures for shelter and evacuation in advance for their safety. The latest threat came as North Korea's anxious neighbours beefed up their defences. 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 Honour: Hyon Hak Bong, the North Korean ambassador, presents his credentials to the Queen in a private audience at Buckingham Palace last year Japan ordered Patriot missile batteries to be deployed in the centre of Tokyo amid growing fears North Korea may be preparing a new missile test. The new threat appeared to be an attempt to scare foreigners into pressing their governments to get Washington and Seoul to act to avert a conflict. Analysts see a direct attack on Seoul as extremely unlikely and there are no overt signs that North Korea's 1.2 million-strong army is preparing for war - let alone a nuclear one. Threats: Dictator Kim Jong-Un, pictured here pointing a pistol, has repeatedly threatened to attack South Korea and the US Few embassies in South Korea have advised their citizens to quit the country. The United States, which has also been threatened by Pyongyang, says there are no imminent signs of threats to American citizens. Earlier yesterday, North Korean workers failed to turn up for work at a factory complex operated with South Korea, effectively shutting down the last major symbol of co-operation between the hostile neighbours. Analysts say Pyongyang's war rhetoric also has a domestic purpose - to bolster support for Kim Jong-un, 30, the third member of his family to lead the country. But UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that soaring tension on the Korean Peninsula was 'very dangerous' - and said 'any small incident caused by miscalculation or misjudgment' might 'create an uncontrollable situation'. The US military commander in the Pacific, Admiral Samuel Locklear, said North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles represented a 'clear and direct threat' to the US and its allies in the region. Admiral Locklear said the US military and its allies would be ready if North Korea tried to strike.