Concerns over North Korea's nuclear ambitions are mounting on two fronts thanks to a planned rocket launch and signs of preparations for an underground nuclear arms test.

Timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the birth of the nation's late founder Kim Il-Sung on 15 April, the Pyongyang regime says its Unha-3 rocket will merely place a small weather satellite into orbit. But the rocket is capable of launching much bigger payloads, prompting fears that this is really a ballistic missile test.

US analysts say the 30-metre-high rocket on the launch pad at Sohae near the Chinese border could pack the power to send a warhead to Hawaii or Alaska.

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