Singapore - The US, South Korea and Japan warned North Korea yesterday of "serious consequences" if it conducted another missile test. The warning comes as fears mount that the Stalinist state may be planning to test its latest missile technology in August or September.
The US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, said at the ASEAN conference in Singapore that North Korea would reap benefits for its people by accepting a package of incentives put forward by the three nations, but penalties would be levied should a missile launch go ahead. While the Japanese Foreign Minister, Mr Masahiko Komura, said that this could include freezing $5 billion pledged in nuclear power reactors and fuel in 1994, the US and South Korea stressed the importance of the deal.