U.S. Within Range of New N. Korea Missile

In this photo released by Korea News Service in Tokyo on Friday June 16, 2006, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il claps as he returns salute to soldiers during his inspection of Unit 417 of the (North) Korean People's Army. Pyongyang's official news agency, KCNA, reported the inspection by Kim, who also is supreme commander of the army, on Tuesday, June 13. North Korea has stepped up preparations for an apparent missile test and could conduct a launch in the next few days, a news report said Friday, amid warnings from Tokyo that a long-range missile firing would threaten Japanese security.(AP Photo/Korea Central News Agency via Korea News Service) (AP)

WASHINGTON -- North Korea is accelerating preparations for testing a missile that has the potential to strike the United States, a U.S. government official said Friday. A test of the Taepodong-2 long-range missile may be imminent, the official said.

The official agreed to speak but only on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.

The official said the Bush administration is very concerned about activities that point toward a test, but declined to elaborate.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that any missile launch by the North Koreans would be a provocation and would violate their 1999 commitment not to carry out such tests.

He had no comment on reports that a North Korea test launch may be in the offing.

Japanese and South Korean officials also have expressed concern in recent days about the reported North Korean missile launch activities. Kyodo News agency in Japan reported that an additional rocket section had arrived at a North Korean launch site within the past two days.

In Tokyo, the Japanese government responded to news reports about a possible test by warning that any such step would jeopardize the country's security.

The reports of a possible launch come after a prolonged hiatus in six-party nuclear disarmament talks designed to create a Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons.

Persistent efforts by the United States and other members of the group to persuade North Korea to resume the discussions have not been successful. There have been no discussions since last November.

North Korea is demanding that the United States revoke sanctions that Washington imposed several months ago in response to alleged North Korean counterfeiting of U.S. dollars and other currency violations.

McCormack reaffirmed on Friday that the United State strongly supports a resumption of the six-party talks.