U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says there is a "pressing need" to decide how to talk with North Korea, as Pyongyang increasingly threatens South Korea.
North Korea's official news agency Thursday called South Korean leaders "traitors," and said the north's military is fully ready for an "all-out confrontation."Secretary of State Clinton said North Korea's potential leadership crisis could be prompting the recent provocative statements from Pyongyang.
The country's longtime leader Kim Jong Il is widely believed to have suffered a stroke in August. It is not clear who would succeed him if he becomes incapable to lead. Clinton warned that a power struggle in the North could raise already heightened tensions between the communist country and its neighbors.
Experts warn that North Korea could be days or weeks away from test-launching a ballistic missile possibly capable of reaching U.S. territory.