Powell: “We Have Our Eye on Possible Invasion by NK”

“North Korea must not operate its nuclear facilities nor experiment with long range missiles,” warned U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell amid the probably start to the Iraq War on Wednesday.

“We have our eyes on a possible attack by North Korea, and North Korea must declare clearly that they will not invade other nations,” said Powell. “The world should be solidified on this issue.”

“Once North Korea activates its nuclear facilities, political dialogue and diplomatic efforts will be much more difficult,” he pointed out. “I don`t see any benefits of North Korea launching missiles at neighboring countries.” He also emphasized his position in speaking of the need for a multilateral solution: “North Korea`s nuclear weapon development does not only concern the U.S. and North Korea, but is a problem between North Korea, all the countries in the region as well as the international community.”

In the meantime, the Wall Street Journal reported that it`s expected N. Korea may take provocative military action in several weeks and possibly conduct underground nuclear weapons tests while U.S. attention is on Iraq.

maypole@donga.com