US delays missile test as North Korea tensions mount
The US postpones plans to carry out a missile test in California next week over fears it will increase tensions with North Korea, as Foreign Secretary William Hague calls for calm over the crisis.
The Minuteman 3 test was put off over concerns it could be misinterpreted by North Korea, amid fears of a conflict. It could be postponed until May.
North Korea has issued a series of unusually strong threats since it was sanctioned by the UN in March for carrying out a third nuclear test.
It has threatened nuclear strikes on the US, formally declared war on South Korea, and pledged to reopen a nuclear reactor in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions.
A Pentagon official said the US wanted to “avoid any misperception or miscalculation” that might result from the test.
Playing down fears of a conflict
US and South Korean officials have sought to play down fears of a conflict on the Korean peninsula in recent days.
On Friday, North Korea warned it would not be able to guarantee the safety of embassy staff in the event of a war, but no foreign governments have announced plans to evacuate their embassies.
Many of North Korea’s angry statements have cited annual military exercises between US and South Korean forces as provocation.
The US flew nuclear-capable B2 and B52 bombers over the South as part of the drill, and has since deployed warships with missile defence systems to the region.
Guam ‘under threat’
This week, North Korea reportedly moved at least one missile to its east coast. It has threatened to strike the Pacific island of Guam, where the US has a military base.
North Korea’s missiles have the capability to carry nuclear warheads, but the country is not yet thought to have developed such warheads.
Many observers say that North Korea’s belligerent rhetoric appears intended for a domestic audience and at shoring up the position of Kim Jong-un, who came to power after his father’s death in December 2011.
However, they also say that knowledge of the north’s political calculations risk is limited, and the risk of a major escalation has increased amid the heightened tension of recent weeks.
Pyongyang sees itself as vulnerable, having seen the upheaval in countries like Syria and Iraq, and is using the threat of nuclear weapons to protect itself.