WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Japanese media reported on Wednesday that satellite imagery indicated North Korea was preparing to test-launch a long-range missile. Earlier this month, Pyongyang tested a nuclear weapon, inciting outrage from the United States and new economic sanctions.
“We are concerned that additional North Korean provocations could heighten tensions, lead to a cycle of escalation and threaten the peace and stability on the Peninsula,” Urban said on Thursday.
The spokesman added that the United States is urging North Korea to “refrain from actions and rhetoric that threaten regional peace and security and focus instead on taking concrete steps toward fulfilling its international commitments and obligations.”
The US intelligence community and NORTHCOM have assessed that Pyongyang has the capability of hitting the United States with a long-range ballistic missile, and takes the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea seriously.
