Hillary Clinton slams 'provocative' N Korean missile launch

PRESIDENT Barack Obama is today heading for what could be his first foreign crisis over North Korea's plans to launch a long-range missile.

As the rogue nation began moving a Taepodong-2 missile to its launchpad, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the planned launch as "provocative" and warned that it would have "consequences".

North Korea says it will use the missile only to launch a satellite into space. But Mrs Clinton said the firing of any missile was in breach of a UN Security Council resolution outlawing any ballistic activity in the communist country. "We have made it very clear that the North Koreans pursue this pathway at a cost and with consequences to the six-party talks, which we would like to see revived," she said.

"We intend to raise this violation of the Security Council resolution, if it goes forward, in the UN."

Officials in the North Korean government said the launch would be a "peaceful" event and would take place on 4or 5 April. South Korea, the US and Japan have urged North Korea to refrain from any launch. They believe Kim Jong-il's government is using the satellite as a cover for further tests of the missile. North Korea faked a satellite launch in 1998 to cloak a missile development test.

In 2006, North Korea launched a Taepodong-2 that began to cartwheel moments after blast-off and exploded.

US spy satellites have been monitoring the launch area in Musudan in the east of the country. The Pentagon says it has the capability to shoot down the missile, but does not expect to have to resort to the counter-measure.

Japan, however, has said it is prepared to destroy the missile with the Patriot defence system obtained from the US.

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Wi Sung-lac, also said his country would respond. "If North Korea launches rocket, certain countermeasures are unavoidable," he said.

North Korea already faces a range of UN sanctions, some linked to its first nuclear test in 2006, and many analysts doubt new ones would get past China - the nearest Pyongyang has to a powerful ally - in the Security Council.

A successful launch would be a huge boost to Kim Jong-il, who is thought to have suffered a stroke last year.