U.S. North Korean Missile Test Would Be Provocative Act

The Bush administration has served notice on North Korea that it would consider a long-range missile firing a provocative act, and it says U.S. officials are urging countries in the region to try to talk Pyongyang out of going ahead with such a test. The State Department went public with U.S. concerns following reports in the Japanese news media in recent days that there have been signs of preparations for a missile test since early last month. At a news briefing, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack would not say what information the United States has gathered about test preparations. But he made clear U.S. officials take the matter seriously, and that efforts are being made to dissuade North Korea from going ahead.