The United States has warned the government of North Korea not to conduct any further missile tests. Wednesday, Pyongyang tested two short-range missiles which was in violation of a moratorium on missile tests agreed to in talks last year.
'We have consistently pointed out that North Korea's missile program is a concern that poses a threat to the region and the larger international community,' White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.
Ongoing talks about North Korea's nuclear weapons program have reached a stalemate, a possible reason for Pyongyang's decision to conduct the test at this time. North Korea has been involved in the six-nation talks since 2003 but little progress has been made. South Korea, the United States, Russia, China and Japan are the other nations involved in the talks.
Thursday, the U.S. State Department confirmed the missile tests, which were originally reported in Asian newspapers. Some of the reports indicated that the firing may have been accidental and taken place during a military drill.
Talks about North Korea's nuclear program reached a standstill after Pyongyang demanded that it be allowed to run a nuclear reactor for 'peaceful purposes.' There was also a disagreement about sanctions imposed by the United States and over a monetary settlement.
No new talks are presently scheduled at this time.
North Korea is one of three nations President Bush labeled as being a part of the 'axis of evil' shortly after the September 11 attacks. Iran and Iraq were the others. While the United States has been fighting a war in Iraq, both North Korea and Iran have taken major steps towards furthering their ambitions to obtaining nuclear technology. North Korea is now claiming it now has nuclear weapons while Iran continues research and has defied international requests for monitoring their program.
