Update: U.S. military set to intercept North Korean ship

The United States (U.S.) military is planning to intercept a flagged North Korean ship suspected of proliferating weapons material in violation of a United Nation (U.N.) Security Council resolution passed on the 12th of June, according to a report on www.foxnews.com.



The USS John McCain, a navy destroyer, will intercept the ship Kang Nam as soon as it leaves the vicinity off the coast of China, according to a senior U.S. defense official. The order to intercept has not been given yet, but the ship is getting into position.



The ship left a port in North Korea Wednesday and appears to be heading toward Singapore, according to a senior U.S. military source. The vessel, which the military has been tracking since its departure, could be carrying weaponry, missile parts or nuclear materials, a violation of U.N. Resolution 1874, which put sanctions in place against Pyongyang.



The resolution does not allow the United States to board the ship forcibly. Rather, U.S. military would have to request permission to board; a request North Korea is unlikely to grant.



North Korea has said that any attempt to board its ships would be viewed as an act of war and promised \"100- or 1,000-fold\" retaliation if provoked.