The leaders of South Korea and the United States told North Korea to drop its atomic ambitions and stop threatening the region while media reports yesterday said Pyongyang was moving ahead with plans to launch a long-range missile.
After a summit with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Washington, US president Barack Obama said a nuclear-armed North Korea would pose a "grave threat" to the world.
He vowed new UN sanctions imposed for North Korea's May 25th nuclear test would be strictly enforced.
"Given the belligerent manner in which they are constantly threatening their neighbours, I don't think there's any question that that would be a destabilising situation that would be a profound threat to not only the United States' security, but to world security," Mr Obama said at a news conference.
Mr Obama promised to end a cycle of allowing North Korea to create a nuclear crisis, then be given concessions in the form of food, fuel and other incentives in return for Pyongyang backing down, only to later see it renege on its promises.
"This is a pattern they've come to expect," Mr Obama said. "We are going to break that pattern."
Mr Obama also reaffirmed Washington's commitment to the defence of South Korea, including keeping it under the US "nuclear umbrella," a move likely to anger Pyongyang, which accuses Washington of scheming to mount a nuclear attack against it.
Analysts say the North's provocative moves are partly aimed at building internal support for leader Kim Jong-il, who appears to be laying the foundation for his youngest son to eventually take over the impoverished country. The 67-year-old leader is believed to have suffered a stroke last year.
North Korea has also threatened to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile after being earlier punished for a long-range rocket launch in April, which was widely seen as a disguised missile test that violated UN resolutions.
Reuters