US will not allow nuclear-armed North Korea: Gates

I / Singapore May 30, 2009, 13:19 IST

The United States today warned it would not accept a nuclear-armed North Korea as China appealed for calm amid fears that Pyongyang was readying for a long-range missile test.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told a high-level security forum in Singapore that North Korea's actions, including its nuclear test earlier this week, could spark a regional arms race.

"Our goal is complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, and we will not accept North Korea as a nuclear state," Gates said.

"North Korea's nuclear programme and actions constitute a threat to regional peace and security. We unequivocally reaffirm our commitment to the defence of our allies in the region," he added.

Tensions have been running high since Kim Jong-Il's regime said it staged its second atomic bomb test on Monday and renounced the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953.

The communist North has warned it could launch an attack on the South, which hosts US military forces, and vowed to respond strongly to any fresh sanctions imposed by the United Nations.

North Korea fired another short-range missile yesterday and US satellite photos have revealed vehicle activity at two sites in North Korea, suggesting the regime may be preparing to launch a long-range missile, two US defence officials said yesterday.