It's been just over three months since former North Korean president Kim Jong-Il died and was succeeded by his youngest son, Kim Jong-Un.
At the time, the succession was met with speculation and concern about what direction the new regime would take, and if it would adhere to the militant policies handed down through the generations.
It hasn't taken long to find out that it has and it will, but now, after the 2010 attack against the South, it's a whole new ballgame.
That year the North rained down an artillery barrage on the South in November after allegedly sinking the South Korean ship the Cheonan in March.
The artillery attack was likely the last set of blows the South is prepared to receive standing down, and the sinking of the Cheonan resulted in South Korean ship captains being given permission to fire on the North at will.
That means if a single shot gets fired at the South Korean Navy there are no checks and balances to keep the scene from flaring up into a full-blown fight.
The launching of this missile sometime within the next few days has ratcheted regional tensions to a new high, and South Korea, Japan, and the U.S. have all said they're prepared to shoot the rocket down should it wander from its path.
If that happens, the North has already said they'll consider it an act of war and pledged "merciless punishment" upon the responsible country.
These Associated Press pictures take us inside the launch site, the command center, and the surrounding preparations for what could be the most watched event on the Korean peninsula in years.
The North Korea's Unha-3 rocket is slated for liftoff between April 12-16
Currently, it stands at Sohae Satellite station in Tongchang-ri, North Korea
North Korean space officials said Tuesday that all assembly and preparations for a planned satellite launch have been completed
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