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In an unusually explicit threat to its neighbor, North Korea on Thursday warned that Japan would be turned into a "nuclear sea of fire" if the United States were to launch an attack against the North.
The threat came as Japanese and South Korean government officials expressed fears that North Korea was preparing to test a ballistic missile. Intelligence satellites have detected unusual movements of vehicles and personnel massing around missile bases on the east coast, South Korean and Japanese officials reported.
South Korea said it believed the movements were connected to annual military games taking place near the missile bases.
"Recently activities related to missiles have been detected, but it's highly likely that it could be a routine and annual exercise," said Rhee Bong Jo, a South Korean deputy unification minister whose office handles North Korean affairs.
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell told reporters that a missile test "would be a very troubling matter.... I think that the neighbors of North...