This is actually nothing new other than it is being reported on CNN:

The U.S. military is tracking a North Korean ship believed to be carrying illicit weapons or technology, a senior U.S. official said Thursday.

The ship, the Kang Nam, is a North Korean-flagged ship, according to two senior U.S. officials, and is currently in the Pacific.

While the United States does not know what specifically is on the ship, the Kang Nam is a “repeat offender,” known for having carried “proliferation materials,” one senior defense official said.  [CNN]

Like I told you the other day, those tough UN sanctions being claimed by the US government are in fact worthless:

Without speaking to any details of the Kang Nam report, Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that the United States would not forcibly board a North Korean ship but, in accordance with the recent United Nations resolution, would request permission to search the ship or press any port the ship docks in to inspect it for illegal materials.

Mullen told reporters at a news conference that neither the United States nor any other navy would board a ship without permission.

“The United Nations Security Council resolution does not include an option for opposed-boarding or noncompliant boarding with respect to that,” he said. “We expect compliance.”

I am willing to bet Kim Jong-il had this ship dispatched solely just to show how worthless the UN Security Council resolutions really are.