Test launch of a Minuteman 3 intercontinental missile next week delayed until next month to avoid exacerbating crisis
An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile leaves a contrail through the sky in California. The test has been rescheduled for next month. Photograph: Greg Vojtko/APThe US has attempted to ease rising tensions with North Korea by postponing a missile test scheduled to take place in California next week, lest this be interpreted by Pyongyang as deliberately provocative.
The US defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, decided to delay the long-planned test launch of a Minuteman 3 intercontinental missile from an airbase until next month over concerns it could exacerbate the crisis, officials briefed reporters anonymously. "This is the logical, prudent and responsible course of action to take," a senior defence official was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The test had no connection to North Korea and could be rescheduled for next month, the official said, maintaining that the US remained prepared to respond to any North Korean threat.
Recent days have seen a rapid escalation of Pyongyang's sabre-rattling against the US and its allies in the region, notably South Korea, something described by analysts as a possible attempt by the North's young and untested leader, Kim Jong-un, to shore up his internal power base.
Along with threats of war, including the use of nuclear weapons, this has involved North Korea reportedly moving medium-range missiles to positions where they could potentially strike South Korea, Japan and US bases in the Pacific.
On Friday, North Korea attempted to heighten fears of military conflict when it told embassies in Pyongyang, that it could not guarantee the safety of their staff in the event of war. In another sign that it is determined to increase the pressure, Pyongyang extended a ban preventing South Korean officials from entering the Kaesong industrial complex – which it operates jointly with the South – for a fourth day.
A government official in Seoul said there was no indication of an exodus of foreign diplomats from the North, despite the warning. "We don't believe there's any foreign mission about to leave Pyongyang," the official told the Yonhap news agency. "Most foreign governments view the North Korean message as a way of ratcheting up tension."
The message to embassies came as US officials confirmed media reports that North Korea had moved two Musudan missiles, which have a 1,865-mile range, to its east coast. Possible launches are expected to be tests rather than targeted strikes, and may be timed to coincide with the 101st anniversary of the birth of North Korea's founding father, Kim Il-sung, on 15 April.
In response, South Korea has sent Aegis destroyers equipped with advanced radar systems to both of its coasts. Washington had earlier said it would speed up the deployment of missile defence systems to Guam, a US Pacific territory whose military bases Pyongyang has identified as targets. Officials in Washington offered a measured response to confirmation that the North had mounted two missiles on mobile launchers. "We've obviously seen the reports that North Korea may be making preparations to launch a missile and we're monitoring this situation closely," the White House press secretary, Jay Carney, said. "And we would not be surprised to see them take such an action. It would fit their current pattern of bellicose, unhelpful and unconstructive rhetoric and actions."
US attempts to lower the diplomatic temperature come after a prolonged display of its naval and air power in the region during joint military exercises with South Korea. Pyongyang has condemned the annual drills, which run to the end of the month, as preparations for an invasion.
The North Korean media continued to describe the standoff in dramatic terms at the weekend, accusing the US and South Korea of "waging madcap nuclear war manoeuvres".
"This is aimed at igniting a nuclear war against it through a pre-emptive strike," the Minju Joson, a government daily newspaper, said. "The prevailing situation proves that a new war, a nuclear war, is imminent on the peninsula."
The prospect of a North Korean missile test is causing concern in Japan, which is easily within range. In Tokyo, Yoshihide Suga, a government spokesman, said that Japan was preparing for a "worst-case" scenario, and urged China and Russia to play significant roles in defusing tensions. Experts and officials have dismissed Pyongyang's threats to launch nuclear strikes against the US, given the rudimentary state of its weapons capability. But it could cause widespread disruption with a cyber-attack, according to a defector who worked for the regime's 3,000-member cyberwarfare unit.
The regime's next move could be to break into US computer networks to steal information and spread viruses, Jang Se-yul, who defected to the South in 2008, told the Observer. North Korea's hackers are suspected of being behind recent cyberattacks that paralysed computer networks at several South Korean banks and broadcasters.
"It would demonstrate that North Korea is a strong cyberpower," Jang said. "Their prime target is the US, and they've been preparing for something like this for years, including when I was there in the 1990s. I can't say how successful they would be, but it's a possibility."
The barrage of threats have failed to unnerve people in Seoul, just 34 miles from the demilitarised zone – the strip of heavily guarded land that has separated the two states since they agreed on a ceasefire, but not a peace treaty, at the end of the 1950-53 Korean war. Streets were packed with cars and shoppers as usual on Saturday, despite rain and chilly weather.
The South Korean media have also been measured in their coverage. When Pyongyang vowed last week to restart its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, South Korean newspapers devoted more space to government plans to grant tax breaks to home buyers. On Naver, the country's most popular web portal, the most read news item last week was about Ryu Hyun-jin, a South Korean baseball pitcher who made his debut for the LA Dodgers. The relaxed mood would quickly change in the event of a localised attack on a South Korean military asset or one of the frontline islands near the disputed maritime border.
Last week the South's new president, Park Geun-hye, said that the military would hit back hard if provoked. Her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak, was criticised for his slow response to attacks in 2010 on a naval ship and island, in which 50 people died.
An editorial in the Korea Times said those living in both the North and South had reason to be vigilant. "Not a single expert can say for sure what will be the unpredictable regime's next move," it said. "One thing seems certain, however: it will be Koreans, especially South Koreans, who will have to shoulder the risks of any misjudgment or miscalculation to be made by either Koreas."
There was consternation, too, that the North had disrupted operations at Kaesong for four days, although it has not closed the facility. Last week it prevented South Korean workers from crossing the border into the complex, located just inside North Korea. About 100 South Koreans who had stayed at Kaesong last week were due to return on Saturday, with 500 more remaining.
The Korea Herald noted that the £56m that the North earns from the complex every year was "no small amount", adding that the country "does not have many comparable or better sources of hard currency".
Political tensions have briefly disrupted operations at Kaesong several times since it opened in 2004, but a complete and prolonged shutdown would be a sign that cross-border ties were near to collapse.
"South Korea takes this situation very seriously," a senior government official in Seoul told the Observer. "We must watch even the smallest moves by North Korea. At the same time, we will continue to send signals that we want to build trust with Pyongyang in the hope that it will cooperate and dialogue can begin."
• This article was amended on 7 April 2013. In the original we said North Korea earned £56bn a year from the Kaesong industrial complex. This figure has been corrected.
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