North Korea Missle set to be Launched

North Korea apparently is set to launch a rocket that has the world's attention.The State Department told North Korea today that they must not launch their rocket. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that "consequences" of the lauch would be inevitable towards North Korea if the launch takes place. A State Department official says "We call on the north to desist from launching any type of missile. It would be counterproductive, it's provocative, it further inflames tensions in the region," he said. "We want to see the North get back to the six-party framework and focus on denuclearization. The situation right now in the region is very tense. Everyone is on edge and we want to try to do what we can to prevent this launch from happening." he added."And we are using every possible avenue that we have diplomatically to do that."
All that North Korea says about the rocket is that it will carry a satellite into orbit.
What may be the main reason for the launch? The United States and other countries fear the main purpose of the launch, regardless of the payload, is to allow North Korea to gain valuable information about improving its ballistic missile program.
Japan is watching the possible launch by North Korea very closely. They have recently mobilized their missile defense system in response to the planned launch. They plan to shoot down the missile or any part of it are the intentions of the Japanese just in case debris falls over Japan.