North Korea has mounted a rocket onto a launchpad on its northeast coast, U.S. officials said, putting Pyongyang well on track for a launch the United States and South Korea warned Thursday would be a major provocation with serious consequences.
Pyongyang has asserted its right to develop its space program, but regional powers suspect the North will use the launch to test the delivery technology for a long-range missile capable of striking Alaska. They have warned that the launch would trigger sanctions.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned that such a "provocative act" could jeopardize the stalled talks on supplying North Korea with aid and other concessions in exchange for dismantling its nuclear program
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