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Gates: US Won't Tolerate a Nuclear North Korea

Gates warns N Korea as satellites spot missile being moved

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted May 30, 2009 3:20 AM CDT

(Newser) – Defense Secretary Robert Gates has warned that the US will not accept a nuclear-armed North Korea, Reuters reports. Gates said any transfer of nuclear material from North Korea to another country or group would be considered "a grave threat." "We will not stand idly by as North Korea builds the capability to wreak destruction on any target in the region or on us," he said.

Speaking at a regional security conference in Singapore, Gates said the choice was clear for North Korea: "To continue as a destitute, international pariah, or chart a new course.” US spy satellites have spotted an intercontinental ballistic missile being moved from a factory near Pyongyang to a launch site on the country's east coast, according to South Korean media quoting a source in Washington.

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Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, left, meets with South Korea's Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee during their bilateral meeting in Singapore yesterday. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

South Korean Army soldiers carry a TOW missile system during a military exercise near the border village of Panmunjom that separates the two Koreas, north of Seoul, South Korea yesterday. (AP Photo/ Lee Jin-man)

Visitors walk by a mock North Korean Scud-B missile, right, and other South Korea missiles at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

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US satellite imagery spots "vehicle activity" at a North Korean ballistic missile site. (CNN Video)

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President Obama has offered an open hand to tyrannies that unclench their fists. He is hopeful, but he is not naïve. Likewise, the United States and our allies are open to dialogue, but we will not bend to pressure or provocation.
- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

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Gates: US Won't Tolerate a Nuclear North Korea