Gates: US Won't Tolerate a Nuclear North Korea

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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