By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that the U.S. military may put the country's missile defense system on alert if North Korea fires any intercontinental ballistic missiles.

In a press briefing at the Pentagon, Gates answered that the U.S. administration is maintaining the option of activating the missile defense system if deemed necessary.

According to a press transcript provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, Gates told reporters that ``I certainly intend to make sure that my colleagues ― the secretary of state, national security advisor, president and vice president ― understand what our capabilities are, and that that's an option out there should ― should we deem it necessary."

But Gates also tried to ease concerns and played down the notion that the North Korean missiles pose any credible danger to the United States.

A reporter at the press briefing noted that North Korea appears ready to fire a Taepodong-2 missile, with the potential capability of reaching the U.S. West Coast. But Gates said Taepodong-2 ballistic missiles have not yet had a successful test.

``Since the first time that they launched the missile ― it flew for a few minutes before crashing ― the range of the Taepodong-2 remains to be seen. So far, it's very short," he said.

The Taepodong-2, designed for a range that could potentially strike the U.S. mainland, failed a test firing in 2006 when the missile exploded about 40 seconds after its launch.

Separately, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is scheduled to visit Asia next week, also offered her thoughts on North Korea. At her press briefing, Tuesday, she said she hopes Pyongyang's recent rhetoric won't trigger instability in the region. She called on the regime to re-engage with the international community.

``We intend to pursue the six-party talks," she said. ``We are hopeful that some of the behavior that we have seen coming from North Korea in the last few weeks is, you know, not a precursor of any action that would up the ante, or threaten the stability and peace and security of the neighbors in the region.

``There are opportunities for the government and people of North Korea were they to begin, once again, to engage through the six-party talks, through other bilateral and multilateral forums."

Yonhap News Agency reported earlier this month that U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies believe North Korea might be preparing to test a Taepodong-2 missile. Yonhap had reported that the South Korean intelligence agency recently observed a train carrying a cylinder-shaped object thought to be a Taepodong-2 missile.

On Jan. 30, Pyongyang heightened its hostile rhetoric against Seoul, announcing that the regime was scrapping all military and political agreements with the South. Pyongyang accused the conservative Lee Myung-bak administration of pursuing confrontational policies that were pushing the two nations toward the brink of war.

michaelha@koreatimes.co.kr