US warns North Korea against missile "provocation"

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday warned
North Korea against conducting a "provocative" intercontinental missile test after U.S. officials said there were signs a test could take place as early as this weekend.
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A test would be Pyongyang's first launch of a long-range missile since it stunned the world in August 1998 by firing a Taepodong 1 over Japan that landed in the Pacific Ocean.

"Such a launch would be a provocative act and we would instead urge them to focus their energies and their activities on returning to the six-party talks," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters. He was referring to talks on curbing Pyongyang's nuclear program involving the United States, China, Russia, North and
South Korea and Japan.

The launch -- expected to involve a Taepodong 2 missile with an estimated range of 3,500 to 4,300 km -- could come as early as this weekend, U.S. officials said.

They said it seemed increasingly likely Pyongyang would go through with the test -- rather than just making preparations to get U.S. and international attention -- but that it could still decide to cancel a launch.

U.S. officials have told Reuters they would not try to shoot down a test missile although McCormack told a news briefing "we will take necessary preparatory steps to track any potential activities and to protect ourselves."

North Korea readies missile launch platform: reports
Sat Jun 17, 2006 6:44am ET

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has moved key components of a long-range missile
to a launch pad as well as 10 large liquid-gas tanks to fuel it, a South Korean
newspaper reported on Saturday, citing government officials.

In a separate report, South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted diplomatic sources
in Seoul as saying a missile test could come as early as on Sunday or Monday.

The South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo cited a South Korean government official as saying
North Korea has deployed its long-range Taepodong-2 missile to a launch pad and has
been testing components of the launch platform.

The officials said the data came from spy satellite images analyzed by U.S. and South
Korean officials.