WASHINGTON ( CNN ) -- North Korea has positioned what is thought to be a long-range missile on its launch pad , a U.S. counter-proliferation official said on Wednesday . A North Korean soldier stands guard in the border village of Panmunjom on December 1 , 2004 in South Korea . The official confirmed a Japanese media report . North Korea recently informed a pair of U.N. agencies that it plans to launch a satellite . The launch is slated for sometime between April 4-8 , according to Yonhap , South Korea 's state-sponsored news agency . North Korea is technically capable of launching a rocket in as little as two to four days , according to Kim Taewoo , an expert at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses , but who doubts a launch will come that soon . It would not make sense for Pyongyang to make such a move after going through official channels with its plans , Kim said . `` The North could delay the launch if they experience problems with the weather , or within the leadership , but I do n't see any reason why they would fire it ahead of time , '' Kim said . North Korea 's announcement has triggered international consternation . U.S. and South Korean officials have long said the North is actually preparing to test-fire a long-range missile under the guise of a satellite launch . Watch what might motivate Pyongyang to pursue missile tests » . Japan said this month that it could shoot down the satellite that North Korean officials said they plan to launch . What the North Koreans would be testing may not be known until an actual launch . A U.N. Security Council resolution in 2006 banned North Korea from conducting ballistic missile activity . Japanese officials said they could shoot down the object whether it is a missile or a satellite . `` As the U.N. resolutions prohibit ( North Korea ) from engaging in ballistic missile activities , we still consider it to be a violation of a technical aspect , even if ( the North ) claims it is a satellite . We will discuss the matter with related countries based on this view , '' Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone said this month . The United States has no plans to shoot down the North Korean rocket , U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday , but will raise the issue with the U.N. Security Council if Pyongyang carries out a launch . `` We are doing our best to dissuade the North Koreans from going forward , because it is provocative action , '' Clinton said . `` It raises questions about their compliance with the Security Council Resolution 1718 . And if they persist and go forward , we will take it up in appropriate channels . '' South Korea echoed Clinton 's statements . `` The South Korean government believes that if the North conducts its launch despite continuous warnings of the South Korean government and the international community , it is a provocative action that constitutes a serious threat to the security of northeast Asia and the Korean peninsula , '' said Foreign Ministry spokesman Moon Tae-Young . `` The launching of the long-range rocket is a clear violation of the U.N. Security Council Resolution No . 1718 , and we strongly urge North Korea to immediately stop such measures . '' The North Korean Taepodong-2 missile is thought to have an intended range of about 4,200 miles ( 6,700 kilometers ) that -- if true -- could strike Alaska or Hawaii .
NEW : U.S. Secretary of State Clinton says U.S. has no plans to shoot rocket down . N. Korea positions what analyst is believes is long-range missile for launch . Taepodong 2 rocket could launch either a warhead or a satellite . North Koreans have said they intend to launch a communications satellite .