This Isn't Great News

North Korea may be readying a long range ballist missile for launch. One capable of reaching the US.

(update below)
(update II below)

North Korea may be preparing to launch a long-range ballistic missile that could reach parts of the United States, Japanese media reports said on Friday, but Japan's government said it did not believe a launch was imminent.

Quoting unidentified South Korean government officials, public broadcaster NHK said satellite pictures showed there have been signs since early this month around a site in northeastern North Korea that pointed to a possible firing in the near future.

Analysts have said, though, that development of a multiple-stage version of a ballistic missile that can take payloads deep into the continental United States is years away. [emphasis mine]

Oh, not to worry according to analysts. Unless you live in Alaska.

Maybe now is a good time to make nice with Kim Jong-il. Ya think?

(read more)

(update) I realised after posting that I jumped to a conclusion with insufficient info. Not knowing the date of the image above, its impossible to tell if they have added more rings to that map or if the next ring would reach Seattle, Portland and maybe other cities. I concluded the next ring, assuming past steps in gaining range, would only reach Alaska.

(update II) Holy cow! That didn't take long. I only suggested making nice with Kim Jong-il about 20 minutes ago.

A leading Republican senator is preparing legislation that aims to jump-start stalled nuclear talks with North Korea by putting the political weight of the U.S. Congress behind specific elements of a deal.

The draft written by Sen. Richard Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and obtained by Reuters, appears to go beyond what the Bush administration has laid out publicly in defining what Pyongyang must do to end the nuclear crisis and what it could expect in return.

Critically, it offers a timeline under which such steps would occur.

(read more)