WASHINGTON - North Korea's steps toward test-firing an intercontinental missile are bringing sudden attention to the most-neglected member of President Bush's "axis of evil." The test could jeopardize disarmament talks and create a new nuclear crisis in the region.
The United States on Friday warned North Korea against testing such a missile, saying it would be a "provocative act."
While the Bush administration has focused most of its recent attention on Iran's nuclear programs, many arms professionals insist the North Koreans pose a more immediate challenge.
Story continues below ↓ advertisement
"They probably increased their nuclear arsenal by six to eight weapons while President Bush has been in office," said Michael O'Hanlon, a national security analyst at the Brookings Institution. "And, meanwhile, Iraq and Iran have made a grand total of zero weapons."
Stepping up preparations
Officials in Japan and the U.S. have said that the North Korean government appears to be stepping up preparations to test a long-range Taepondong-2 missile - and that a test may be imminent. Such a missile could potentially reach parts of the United States.
North Korea tested an earlier version in 1998 and it caused a worldwide uproar.
That missile flew over Japan. But its third stage failed to ignite and pieces plunged into the northwestern Pacific Ocean. Now, Western experts fear North Korean engineers have improved the technology.
