TOKYO, Japan - High levels of toxic Strontium-90 have been found in groundwater at the tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant, its operator said Wednesday.

Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), which has been struggling to clean up the plant, said nearly 30 times the permitted level of the radioactive isotope was discovered in a well dug last month outside the turbine hall of Reactor No.2.

The company said it had not detected any rise in the levels of Strontium-90 in sea water, and that it believed the substance was trapped during the initial 2011 nuclear fallout.

It plans to inject chemicals into the ground between the well and shore to prevent any leaks into the ocean.

The plant was the site of one of the world's worst nuclear accidents in March 2011 when a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami knocked out power and cooling to the station, causing meltdowns in three reactors.

Meanwhile, Japan’s newly-created Nuclear Regulatory Agency on Wednesday announced guidelines for restarting the nation’s nuclear power plants.

Among the new requirements will be back-up power sources and cooling systems in case of a shutdown.

Plant operators will be forced to build a sea wall high enough to withstand tsunamis.

Currently, only two of the country’s 50 nuclear reactors are operational and the agency will begin reviewing proposals submitted by electric power companies to restart their reactors next month.

Slideshow: Triple tragedy for Japan

An earthquake, a tsunami, a nuclear meltdown -- residents of Japan's northeast coast suffered through three intertwined disasters after a massive 9.0 magnitude temblor struck off the coast on March 11, 2011.

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This story was originally published on Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:47 AM EDT

Evan Vucci / AP

President Barack Obama meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, on Monday. The two leaders met privately to discuss security matters and a deal to reduce nuclear arms.

ENNISKILLEN, Northern Ireland -- President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin said they would sign an agreement on securing and destroying nuclear material to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, replacing a 1992 deal that expired on Monday.

Obama and Putin met privately at the G-8 summit to talk about pressing security issues and agreed to work together to protect, control and account for nuclear weapons.

"I think it is an example of the kind of constructive, cooperative relationship that moves us out of a Cold War mindset," Obama said after meeting with Putin.

Ben Rhodes, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Russia had been reluctant to extend the agreement, which was signed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and was known as the Nunn-Lugar agreement after former Democratic Senator Sam Nunn and former Republican Senator Richard Lugar.

Rhodes said the Russians' concerns were "well founded in some respects," noting the Nunn-Lugar agreement had taken a "very aggressive and intrusive" approach to securing nuclear material in Russia.

On Monday, Nunn applauded the new deal, although he noted that some parts of the old one focused on chemical and biological weapons would not continue.

"We must find ways beyond this agreement to work together on these critical issues," he said. "I believe that we will."

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News analysis

TEHRAN, Iran - Dancing in the streets of Tehran greeted the news that Hassan Rowhani had won Iran’s race for president over the weekend, as voters hailed the reformist cleric’s victory.
 
The mostly young Iranians lit Chinese lanterns and chanted slogans like “bye-bye Ahmadi,” in reference to outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who became unpopular with reformist voters after the last elections.

A similar scene took place in 2009 -- young Iranians chanting the same slogans -- but the demonstrations ended in a bloody crackdown.

Unlike celebrations four years ago, the rejoicing over the weekend was peaceful and passed without incident. 

Rowhani, 64, declared the election was a "victory of moderation over extremism.” What the election revealed, however, was just how divided Iran is between reformists and conservatives.

Rowhani, the country’s former chief nuclear negotiator and the only non-conservative in the field, got more than 18 million votes. Meanwhile, the five conservative candidates combined garnered just under 18 million.
 
Iran’s standing internationally preoccupied many in the crowd. 
 
"We have had a very bad image in world over the last eight years – we want our dignity back now," said Shanaz, a young woman who attended the street festivities.
 
Tehran is at loggerheads with much of the world over its nuclear program, which it insists is for peaceful purposes. 
 
Some of those celebrating in Tehran also said they were anxious to win back some of the freedoms that the 2009 crackdown extinguished. 

Ebrahim Noroozi / AP

Supporters of Hasan Rowhani celebrate following his victory in Iran's presidential election.

"We want some social freedoms back, we want to be able to breathe again, and we want better relations with the rest of the world,” said Ramin, a man in his forties. “I hope Rowhani can deliver, but he is going to have a tough job."
 
Rowhani's challenges include lessening tensions with the West over Iran's nuclear program, reviving an economy crumbling under strict international sanctions and resolving sensitive issues such as what to do about former reformist presidential candidates Mir-Hussien Mousavi and Medi Karoubi, who are under house arrest.
 
Rowhani is a centrist who seems to have good relations with people on both ends of the political spectrum in Iran. He has never posed a challenge to the Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, and has been loyal to the country's principles steeped in the Islamic religion.

But the key to his success in this election was the backing he got from the country’s leading reformist, former President Mohammad Khatami, one of the pillars of the revolution, and great political survivor and also former president, Ali-Akbar Rafsanjani.
 
Nobody knows what Rowhani will do next, but he is known to be a pragmatist. During his time as chief nuclear negotiator from 2003 to 2005, he brokered a deal that saw Iran suspend its uranium enrichment.

This move that made him popular in the West did not do the same in Iran. During the campaign, conservatives accused him of selling Iran's nuclear rights down the river and making too many concessions, which they believe weakened Iran.

Slideshow: Everyday life in Iran

At schools, in shops, and on the streets of big cities and small towns, daily life plays out in Iran.

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In his campaign speeches, Rowhani said he supported greater personal freedoms for Iranians and a less intimidating security system. He also said Iran must stop wallowing in mediocrity because it is a powerful country with huge resources.
 
Significant to the outside world, he also called for better relations with the West, especially the United States. He has said that the only way to get Iran out of its current rut was to negotiate with America.
 
The news of Rowhani's election victory had an almost immediate economic effect in Iran – its currency, the rial, strengthened against the dollar and the country’s stock market climbed for the second day in a row.
 
But the optimism both inside and outside the country is tempered by the knowledge that final decisions on matters of state, foreign policy and the nuclear issue lie with the Supreme Leader – and he isn't going anywhere.

It is still too early to know whether Rowhani will herald in a period of tangible policy changes or just a softening of tone instead of substance.

Related:

• Who is Iran's new president? Nine things you need to know about Rowhani
• Jubilant Iranians cheer election of new president Hassan Rowhani

Chris Usher / CBS News via Getty Images

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough appears on CBS's "Face the Nation" on Sunday in Washington, DC.

The Obama administration on Sunday signaled that it would be open to holding nuclear and security talks with North Korea as long as those discussions are “real" and "based on them living up to their obligations" — including denuclearization.

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation” a day after Pyongyang proposed high-level talks with Washington, said the North must dismantle its nuclear program before the U.S. agrees to face-to-face conversations.

“Those talks have to be real,” McDonough said. “We’ll judge them by their actions, not by the nice words that we heard yesterday.”

The National Security Council struck a similar chord Sunday, saying the Obama administration wants “credible negotiations” with North Korea.

North Korea must live up to “its obligations to the world” and observe United Nations resolutions, National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.

Pyongyang’s top government body on Saturday offered to hold “senior-level” talks with Washington after months of acrimony between the two governments.

“In order to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and to achieve regional peace and safety, we propose to hold high-level talks between (North Korea) and the United States,” said a spokesman for the North’s National Defense Commission in a statement released to the state-owned KCNA news agency Sunday.

The United States, along with Japan and South Korea, are expected to discuss the North's invitation in Washington this week, according to The Associated Press.

Hostility between the two nations has swelled in recent months, following the North’s launch of a long-range rocket in December and a nuclear test in February.

Acrimony began to lessen in May and June, as Pyongyang extended a hesitant olive branch to the U.S. and South Korea.

The South and Korea agreed to hold high-level talks in Seoul in early June, but the meetings were cancelled after conflict over logistics.

Pyongyang’s sudden interest in closer ties with the South and friendlier relations with the U.S. may stem from pressure from Beijing, as some security analysts have speculated.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama signaled their agreement on the weapons issue at a recent summit in California, saying that North Korea’s nuclear program poses a significant threat to the international community.

North Korea's top government body is proposing high-level nuclear and security talks with the United States days after a planned meeting with rival South Korea collapsed. 

The National Defense Commission said Sunday that the talks should ease tensions and achieve peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. 

North Korea has issued a series of angry statements since U.N. sanctions were imposed after a December rocket launch and a February nuclear test. There have been threats of nuclear war by the North, followed by South Korean vows of counterstrikes. 

Outside analysts say North Korea often expresses interest in talks after raising tension with provocative behavior in order to win outside concessions. 

Washington's top worry is North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang is estimated to have a handful of crude nuclear devices.

SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea fired three short-range missiles from its east coast on Saturday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said, but the purpose of the launches was unknown.

Launches by the North of short-term missiles are not uncommon, but the ministry would not speculate whether these latest launches were part of a test or training exercise.

Slideshow: Glimpses into the hermit kingdom of North Korea

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As chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, David Guttenfelder has had unprecedented access to communist North Korea. Here's a rare look at daily life in the secretive country.

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"North Korea fired short-range guided missiles twice in the morning and once in the afternoon off its east coast," an official at the South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman's office said by telephone.

The official said he would not speculate on whether the missiles were fired as part of a drill or training exercise.

"In case of any provocation, the ministry will keep monitoring the situation and remain on alert," he said.

A Japanese government source, quoted by Kyodo news agency, noted the three launches, but said none of the missiles landed in Japan's territorial waters.

Tension on the Korean peninsula has subsided in the past month after running high for several weeks following the imposition of tougher U.N. sanctions against Pyongyang following its third nuclear test in February.

The North had for weeks issued nearly daily warnings of impending nuclear war with the South and the United States.

North Korea conducts regular launches of its Scud short-range missiles, which can hit targets in South Korea.

It conducted a successful launch of a long-range missile last December, saying it put a weather satellite into orbit. The United States and its allies denounced the launch as a test of technology that could one day deliver a nuclear warhead.

During the weeks of high tension, South Korea reported that the North had moved missile launchers into place on its east coast for a possible launch of a medium-range Musudan missile. The Musudan has a range of 3,500 km, putting Japan in range and possibly the U.S. South Pacific island of Guam.

Slideshow: Daily life in North Korea

Elizabeth Dalziel / AP

From work to play, see pictures from inside the secretive country.

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Reuters

Related stories:

• Analysis: North Korea blinked in missile standoff, but will threaten again
• Pentagon: North Korea moving closer to developing nuke that can hit US
• Full North Korea coverage from NBCNews.com

KCNA via EPA file

This October 2010 photo, released then by the North Korean Central News Agency, KCNA, shows two Musudan missiles in a military parade marking the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea moved two Musudan missiles to a launch site on the country's east coast in early April.

North Korea has downgraded two Musudan missiles from launch-ready status and removed them from their launch site on the country's east coast, a senior U.S. official confirmed to NBC News.

Officials would not say where the missiles were moved, but earlier Monday Pentagon press secretary George Little said North Korea's rhetoric has been toned down in recent weeks, calling it a "provocation pause."

The Musudan missiles have a range of 1,900 to 2,200 miles, threatening not only South Korea but also Japan and American military bases on Guam. Testing the medium-range missile would have increased the already  high tensions between Washington and Pyongyang.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said a missile test would be a "huge mistake" and a "provocative and unwanted act."

North Korea's move comes just one day before President Barack Obama meets with South Korean President Park Guen-hye at the White House. The two will hold a joint press conference following a working lunch. U.S. officials have stated a firm commitment to protect South Korea as rhetoric increased from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un throughout the beginning months of 2013.  

Last week the Pentagon released a report to members of Congress stating that North Korea is getting closer to achieving its stated goal of developing a nuclear weapon capable of being delivered to the U.S. but gave no timetable when the weapon might be complete. 

Reuters contributed to this report.

Jon Chol Jin / AP

A man walks by a poster reading "Severe punishment to the U.S. and their followers" in the central district of Pyongyang, North Korea, on Thursday, May 2, 2013.

North Korean advances in nuclear technology are moving the country closer to its goal of being able to strike the United States with an atomic weapon, according to a new Pentagon report submitted to Congress on Thursday.

Though the unclassifed version of the report gave no timetable for when North Korea may have the ability to hit North American soil with a weapon, it did say recent progress is in line with the country's desires to soon be able to carry out such an attack. 

"These advances in ballistic-missile delivery systems, coupled with developments in nuclear technology ... are in line with North Korea's stated objective of being able to strike the U.S. homeland," the report said. 

The report added: "North Korea will move closer to this goal, as well as increase the threat it poses to U.S. forces and allies in the region, if it continues testing and devoting scarce regime resources to these programs."

The Pentagon assessment to lawmakers is required by law and comes after a period of escalating tensions between the two countries. The report calls North Korea one of America's "most critical security challenges" in the region because of its pursuit of nuclear weapons coincides with "provocative and destabilizing behavior."

Washington and Pyongyang began 2013 in a standoff after the North launched of a satellite into space last December, which the report cites as a major contributor to the country's long-range capabilities. That was followed by a nuclear test in February of 2013, which led to sanctions from the United Nations that only brought more threats from the cantankerous country.

Still, the report also noted that North Korea has yet to complete some of the necessary steps required for the country to develop a weapon that can reach the U.S.  It stated that they have not yet tested a re-entry vehicle necessary for a warhead to get back inside the Earth's atmosphere and hit a target.

The report also indicates that newly minted leader Kim Jong Un will follow in his father's footsteps in practicing "coercive diplomacy" and development of military capabilities to deter outside attacks.

Slideshow: Glimpses into the hermit kingdom of North Korea

David Guttenfelder / AP

As chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, David Guttenfelder has had unprecedented access to communist North Korea. Here's a rare look at life in the secretive country.

Launch slideshow

Jung Yeon-Je / AFP - Getty Images

A South Korean military vehicle drives past barricades on the road leading to North Korea's Kaesong industrial complex on Friday.

SEOUL - South Korea said on Friday it will pull out all remaining workers from the Kaesong industrial zone in North Korea after Pyongyang rejected a call for formal talks to resolve a standoff that led to a suspension of operations at the complex.

"Because our nationals remaining in the Kaesong industrial zone are experiencing greater difficulties due to the North's unjust actions, the government has come to the unavoidable decision to bring back all remaining personnel in order to protect their safety," said Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae.

About 170 South Koreans were left in Kaesong, which is just on the North Korean side of the border with the South.

The industrial zone opened in 2004 as part of a so-called sunshine policy of engagement and optimism between the two Koreas, still technically at war after their 1950-53 war conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty.

Slideshow: Glimpses into the hermit kingdom of North Korea

David Guttenfelder / AP

As chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press, David Guttenfelder has had unprecedented access to communist North Korea. Here's a rare look at daily life in the secretive country.

Launch slideshow

The North withdrew its 53,000 workers from the complex this month amid spiraling tension between the two Koreas. The North has prevented South Korean workers and supplies from getting in to the zone since April 3.

The North's National Defense Commission, its supreme leadership body, repeated that what it saw as the reckless behavior of the South had thrown into question the safety of the zone's operation and had forced it to stop access there.

"If the South's puppet regime turns a blind eye to reality and continues to pursue a worsening of the situation, we will be forced to take a final and decisive important measure," a spokesman for the commission was quoted as saying.

The zone was a lucrative source of cash for the impoverished North, providing it with almost $90 million a year. South Korean manufacturers have been paying about $130 a month to North Korea for each of the workers they employed.

North Korea stepped up defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions in December when it launched a rocket that it said had put a scientific satellite into orbit. Critics said the launch was aimed at developing technology to deliver a nuclear warhead mounted on a long-range missile.

The North followed that in February with its third test of a nuclear weapon. That brought new U.N. sanctions which in turn led to a dramatic intensification of North Korea's threats of nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States.

Related:

• Analysis: N. Korea blinked in missile standoff, but will threaten again
• Positive thinking after years of threats keeps S. Koreans going
• Full North Korea coverage from NBC News

A White House spokesman said Thursday that the United States was open to "authentic and credible" discussions with North Korea -- if it were to show a willingness to abandon its nuclear ambitions. But early signals from Pyongyang were less than enthusiastic.

Aboard Air Force One as President Barack Obama was headed to Boston, spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters that U.S. officials would be willing to negotiate, but would "need to see clear evidence" that the North was "willing to live up to international obligations."

"So far we have not seen that," he added. "Belligerent actions ... actually indicate the opposite of that."

North Korea's response through its state media agency KCNA seemed unlikely to change that perception.

A statement attributed to the policy department of North Korea's National Defense Commission laid down tough conditions under which the North might consider coming to the bargaining table.

Among the North's demands were that the U.S. work to reverse sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council over Pyongyang's continued nuclear tests. "They should bear in mind that doing so would be a token of good will towards the DPRK," or Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the statement said.

Less easy to define was a demand that the U.S. "stop all provocative acts against the DPRK and apologize for all of them."

The statement appeared to refer to the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military exercises conducted by U.S. and South Korean forces when it demanded that the U.S. "give formal assurances before the world that they would not stage again such nuclear war drills to threaten or blackmail the DPRK."

It additionally demanded that U.S. immediately "withdraw all nuclear war means from South Korea and its vicinity and give up their attempt to reintroduce them."

"They should bear in mind that the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula can begin with the pullout of the nuclear war means introduced by the U.S. and this may lead to the global denuclearization," the statement said.

NBC News' Stacey Klein contributed to this report.

Related:

Kerry: China must do more to resolve N. Korea crisis

Kerry says US ready to 'reach out' to North Korea

Full North Korea coverage from NBC News

TOKYO -- Secretary of State John Kerry has called on China to do more to help resolve the North Korean missile crisis, saying the country provided the Pyongyang regime with a “lifeline.”

In an interview with NBC's TODAY that aired on Monday, Kerry also said any deal with the rogue state would need to be structured so that Pyongyang could not later renege on its terms.

The crisis developed after North Korea threatened to carry out a pre-emptive nuclear strike against its enemies in response to United Nations sanctions imposed because of an underground nuclear test in February and a rocket test in December.

In recent days the North Koreans have readied missiles for launch and some speculated this would happen on Monday, when the nation celebrates the birth of founder Kim Il Sung, current leader Kim Jong Un’s grandfather.

In an interview in Tokyo before flying back to the U.S. on Monday, Kerry said that if the missiles were not fired “that would mean perhaps we're turning a corner and there's a possibility of moving in a better direction.”

“Everybody understands the negative side of what happens if there is a shoot.  And my hope is that we can move in a different direction here. China, I think, is serious about this,” he said. “They understand the instability this is creating.”

Kerry said it was “very important” for the United States to make clear to North Korea that there would be “consequences for their action” and to reaffirm its security agreements with its allies in the region.

“That done, I think it is very important to the Chinese to focus on the fact that ... if they're not prepared to put the pressure on the North -- and they have the greatest ability to have an impact on the North -- then this can become more destabilizing,” he said. “And that instability is not in China's interest, certainly. It's not in anybody's interest in the region.”

“So if we're going to operate according to what's in people's interest, China's and everybody else's, I believe China needs to become more engaged in this effort,” he said.

“It is obvious that China is the lifeline to North Korea. Everybody knows that China provides the vast majority of the fuel to North Korea.  China is their biggest trading party, their biggest food donor and so forth,” he added.

When asked about a comment by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that North Korea had a history of breaking diplomatic deals, Kerry replied: "John is absolutely correct, that has been the pattern. And I have raised that issue with the Chinese … There has been a history of ... just playing this game and then ultimately there's cheating or a complete reneging. We are determined, I am determined to try to find if there is a different formula.  And that is a … conversation that I specifically had with the Chinese.”

On Sunday, Kerry said the United States was prepared to “reach out” to North Korea’s leadership.

The United States has offered talks, but on the precondition that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions. North Korea deems its nuclear arms a "treasured sword" and has vowed never to give them up.

On Monday, North Korean state media made hardly a mention of conflict in contrast to weeks of tirades against its enemies in what some saw as good sign.

"South Korea and the United States have sent a message for dialogue, so for now the North is switching to that mode," Yang Moo-jin, of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told Reuters. "The North's strategic intention has been to try to get some kind of response from the United States and South Korea and now they have that. They won't be brushing away the suggestions to enter dialogue lightly." 

'Bright faces'
In Pyongyang on Monday, residents spilled into the streets in apparent celebration, The Associated Press reported. Girls in red and pink jackets skipped along streets festooned with celebratory banners and flags and parents pushed strollers with babies bundled up against the chill.

"Although the situation is tense, people have got bright faces and are very happy," Han Kyong Sim, a drink stand worker, told the AP. 

Slideshow: North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un

The youngest son of Kim Jong Il succeeded his late father in 2011, becoming the third member of his family to rule the unpredictable and reclusive communist state.

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North Korea's state-controlled KCNA news agency reported that Kim Jong Un had received a letter from the Central Committee of the Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front that praised his grandfather.

“The life of Kim Il Sung was an epic-like one of an invincible hero who clarified the truth that arms are a lifeline of the nation and guarantees the victory of revolution, restored the country by leading to victory the hard-fought battles against the Japanese and the U.S. imperialists,” the letter said.

The letter “pledged to join the all-people resistance to frustrate the frantic moves of the hostile forces for a nuclear war and make positive contribution to bringing about a fresh turn in the efforts for national reunification,” KCNA said.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said it remained on guard against any missile launch to coincide with Kim Il Sung’s birth, Reuters reported.

"The military is not easing up on its vigilance on the activities of the North's military with the view that they can conduct a provocation at any time," a ministry spokesman said. 

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related:

Kerry in Japan: US ready to 'reach out' to North Korea

China urges peaceful resolution of North Korea nuclear standoff

Full North Korea coverage from NBC News

This story was originally published on Mon Apr 15, 2013 7:01 AM EDT

Japan and the United States cannot allow North Korea to possess nuclear weapons, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishia said Sunday after a meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry, according to Reuters.

Kerry is in Japan on a regional tour aimed at solidifying support for curbing North Korea's nuclear program.

Earlier, he was in Beijing – for the first time as secretary of state – where he sought to persuade President Xi Jinping to rein in North Korea, China's traditional ally, arguing that Pyongyang's erratic young leader, Kim Jong Un, is threatening the stability of the entire region.

Pyongyang has threatened for weeks to attack the United States, South Korea and Japan since new U.N. sanctions were imposed in response to its latest nuclear arms test in February, fuelling speculation of a new missile launch or nuclear test.

"China and the United States must together take steps in order to achieve the goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, and today we agreed to have further discussions, to bear down very quickly with great specificity on exactly how we will accomplish this goal," Kerry said Saturday before flying on to Japan, the last stop on his Asian tour.

China's top diplomat echoed the goal, but wasn't specific about how pressure might be applied on North Korea, which had been threatening the United States and its "puppet" South Korea almost daily in recent weeks.

"China is firmly committed to upholding peace and stability and advancing the denuclearization process on the peninsula," Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi said.

"We maintain that the issue should be handled and resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation," he added.

Kerry declined to comment on what specifically China may do to push for a peaceful solution on North Korea, saying only that he and Chinese officials had discussed all possibilities.

North Korea has prepped two medium-range Musudan-1 missiles waiting on its east coast, and analysts have said that it might fire one or both as a means for Kim Jong Un -- the founder's grandson -- to save face and appease his military after the weeks of saber-rattling.

Related:

Kerry to North Korea: We will 'defend our allies'

Analysis: China grows weary of North Korea

Full North Korea coverage from NBC News

This story was originally published on Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:03 AM EDT