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U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Friday put North Korea at the top of a list of security challenges facing his country, along with an unfinished war in Afghanistan and al-Qaida-led terrorism.
He pointed out the unpredictability of the secretive communist nation with nuclear weapons and various types of missiles.
"We still have the problem of North Korea and the unpredictability of North Korea," he said during a visit to an air base in Turkey, according to a transcript.
"We just saw that happen this last week when they launched another missile, in violation of all international requirements and rules," Panetta added, "That represents a threat, a threat to the United States."
U.S. officials were apparently caught off guard by North Korea's successful launch this week of a long-range rocket.
Although experts here say North Korea still has a way to go to master intercontinental ballistic missile technology, many agree that its missile capability is continuing to develop.
Panetta said Washington is "going to have force projection in the Pacific in order to confront North Korea, in order to deal with the challenges we face in that Asia-Pacific region, which is so important to our economy and to our future."
The State Department said, meanwhile, the U.S. will keep urging North Korea not to conduct another nuclear test.
North Korea carried out two known underground nuclear experiments, in 2006 and 2009, both in the wake of long-range missile launches.
When asked about the pattern, Patrick Ventrell, a spokesman for the department, had nothing to say specifically.
"But clearly that's something that we have previously discouraged the North Korean government from considering and will continue to do so," he said at a press briefing in Washington.
Ventrell added the U.S. is closely consulting with other nations to hammer out appropriate measures to punish Pyongyang for its latest rocket launch.
"Very clearly, North Korea's one of the most sanctioned countries on earth and will continue to be so," he said. "And we're continuing to work with our partners and looking at all aspects of this." (Yonhap News)
He pointed out the unpredictability of the secretive communist nation with nuclear weapons and various types of missiles.
"We still have the problem of North Korea and the unpredictability of North Korea," he said during a visit to an air base in Turkey, according to a transcript.
"We just saw that happen this last week when they launched another missile, in violation of all international requirements and rules," Panetta added, "That represents a threat, a threat to the United States."
U.S. officials were apparently caught off guard by North Korea's successful launch this week of a long-range rocket.
Although experts here say North Korea still has a way to go to master intercontinental ballistic missile technology, many agree that its missile capability is continuing to develop.
Panetta said Washington is "going to have force projection in the Pacific in order to confront North Korea, in order to deal with the challenges we face in that Asia-Pacific region, which is so important to our economy and to our future."
The State Department said, meanwhile, the U.S. will keep urging North Korea not to conduct another nuclear test.
North Korea carried out two known underground nuclear experiments, in 2006 and 2009, both in the wake of long-range missile launches.
When asked about the pattern, Patrick Ventrell, a spokesman for the department, had nothing to say specifically.
"But clearly that's something that we have previously discouraged the North Korean government from considering and will continue to do so," he said at a press briefing in Washington.
Ventrell added the U.S. is closely consulting with other nations to hammer out appropriate measures to punish Pyongyang for its latest rocket launch.
"Very clearly, North Korea's one of the most sanctioned countries on earth and will continue to be so," he said. "And we're continuing to work with our partners and looking at all aspects of this." (Yonhap News)
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