Pentagon intelligence has assessed that North Korea likely does have the ability to launch nuclear missiles, which raises the stakes for John Kerry, who just landed in South Korea, to find a diplomatic way out of the crisis. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
By Matthew DeLuca, Staff Writer, NBC News
Secretary of State John Kerry said a North Korean missile launch would be a ?huge mistake" and reiterated that the United States would defend its allies if necessary after arriving in the South Korean capital on Friday.
Kerry also warned Pyongyang that firing a medium-range missile would be a "provocative and unwanted act."
?Kim Jong Un needs to understand, as I think he probably does, what the outcome of a conflict would be,? Kerry said. ?Our hope is we can get back to talks."
Both the U.S. and Japan have defense systems ready should North Korea's missiles pose a threat. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
?The rhetoric that we are hearing from North Korea is simply unacceptable by any standard,? Kerry added. The United States ?will, if needed, defend our allies and defend ourselves,? he said.
North Korea's two medium-range missiles remained fueled and ready to fire on the country's east coast Friday, U.S. military and intelligence officials said. However, there had been no heightened movement or activity by the country's military that would suggest an imminent rocket launch.
Kerry met with South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Friday for the first of four days of talks amid speculation about North Korea?s military capabilities and uncertainty over what threat the isolated nation?s erratic leader may make next.
The South Korean president thanked Kerry for his leadership in recent weeks as North Korea has escalated its rhetoric.
?I also wish to express my appreciation for your leadership in having the recent G-8 foreign ministers meeting in London issue a stern warning to North Korea,? Park told Kerry through an interpreter. ?I also wish to say given the escalating tensions on the peninsula, your visit will certainly showcase how closely we are coordinating our efforts.?
As Kerry heads to Seoul, South Korea, tensions with North Korea continue to rise as it remains unclear whether or not the latest rhetoric is merely Kim Jong-un showing off his military strength. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
Kerry addressed a report by the Pentagon?s Defense Intelligence Agency, which was disclosed in a congressional hearing on Thursday, that said the agency has ?moderate confidence? that North Korea is capable of mounting a nuclear weapon on a missile, but that such a weapon would likely not be reliable.
After the hearing, Pentagon spokesman George Little said ?it would be inaccurate to suggest that the North Korean regime has fully tested, developed or demonstrated the kinds of nuclear capabilities referenced? at the Thursday hearing.
Kerry said Friday that while North Korea has tested a nuclear device, they have now yet shown the capability to build a weapon small enough to be mounted on a ballistic missile.
?It is inaccurate to suggest that the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea -- North Korea's official name] has fully tested, developed, and demonstrated capabilities that are articulated in that report,? Kerry said. ?But obviously they have conducted a nuclear test so there is some kind of device. But that is very different from miniaturization and delivery and from tested delivery and other things. Does it get you closer to a line that is more dangerous? Yes.?
U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel speaks on Capitol Hill Thursday regarding recent military threats made by North Korea.
Kerry said the United States would continue to work with allies including Japan to find other ways to de-escalate tensions, and said that President Barack Obama has ordered a number of unspecified exercises not to take place to help calm the heated rhetoric.
"We are all united in the fact that North Korea will not be accepted as a nuclear power," Kerry added.
Kerry also planned to visit China and Japan on his East Asia trip. The U.S. has engaged in aggressive diplomacy with China, North Korea?s northern neighbor and benefactor, in the latest round of saber-rattling.
Pyongyang relies on China for basic supplies like food and fuel, as well as a diplomatic link to the world, but Beijing?s good will toward the impoverished nation has recently waned. There are signs Chinese officials have tired of the North?s bellicose rhetoric, and China supported a round of United Nations sanctions following the country?s third nuclear test.
?We do not want to see chaos and conflict on China?s doorstep,? Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told NBC News.
NBC News' Jim Miklaszewski, Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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This story was originally published on Fri Apr 12, 2013 4:07 AM EDT
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