US: North Korea moving ahead with April “space launch.”

North Korea is planning an April “space launch”, it claims, amid speculation about what sort of rocket Pyongyang plans to fire.

Officials in Seoul and Washington have said that there are signs the communist state is preparing to test its Taepodong-2 missile, which has a range of 6,700 kilometers (4,100 miles) and could theoretically reach Alaska.

The missile was initially launched in 2006 but failed after 40 seconds. the technology is indistinguishable from intercontinental ballistic missiles,” a US Official said.

“And if a three-stage space launch vehicle works, then that could reach not only Alaska, Hawaii but also part of ‘the Lower 48.”

North Korea announced in late February they intend to launch a communications satellite, the Kwangmyongsong-2.

The testimony on Capitol Hill was coupled to the annual Threat Assessment of the Intelligence Community, which showcased growing US concerns that Pyongyang may have a secret program to enrich uranium. That conclusion is rather remarkable since the prevailing wisdom is North Korea is deep into enriching uraniaum to build athord A-bomb similar to the one that squibbed a year ago - many believe North Korea already has a sockpile of bomb grade material.

In 2008, North Korea shut down three core facilities at its Yongbyon nuclear complex and has completed eight of the 11 steps to disable the facility.

Supreme leader Kim Jong Il probably suffered a stroke in August that incapacitated him for several weeks. It appears that his health has improved “and US intelligence thinks he is making key decisions. It also said, “We see no organized opposition to Kim Jong Il’s rule and only occasional incidents of social disorder.”  

“The state’s control apparatus by all accounts remains strong, sustaining the dismal condition of human rights in North Korea,” US National Intelligense says.