'N. Korea Set to Fire Taepodong-2 Missile'

"North Korea is always a wild card. It's almost a gimme that sooner or later, they are going to try to stir the pot, and try to destabilize things." CIA Direct Hayden. Korea Times

North Korea is moving to test-launch a long-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, Yonhap News reported quoting South Korean officials Tuesday.

An intelligence source was quoted as saying a train carrying a long cylinder-shaped object has recently been spotted by U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies, adding it is believed to be a Taepodong-2 missile.

Taepodong-2 missiles can technically reach Alaska and western parts of the U.S. and carry a payload of up to 500 kilograms, according to defense experts.

The preparation to launch the inter-continental ballistic missile is likely to be completed in a month or two, the source said, confirming a report from Japanese media that the launch is imminent.

"The intelligence report by Japan appears grounded on facts," an official at the Ministry of National Defense said, speaking on condition of anonymity.