The announcement came amid reports of heightened activity at the North's nuclear test site, and at a missile battery, although the South Korean government denied suggestions that a fourth nuclear test was imminent.
U.S. Delays Missile Test
The United States, which has met the North's threats with some military muscle-flexing of its own, offered a calibrated concession Saturday by delaying a planned inter-continental ballistic missile test.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday welcomed the decision to postpone the Minuteman 3 test, which the U.S. had said it feared could be misconstrued as an attempt to exacerbate the air of crisis.
In turn, the White House on Monday praised efforts by Russia and China to ease the crisis with North Korea, after pushing both nations to use their influence to change the isolated state's behavior.
"We welcome efforts by Beijing and Moscow to encourage Pyongyang to refrain from provocative rhetoric and threats," said White House spokesman Jay Carney.
"We will continue to work with our Chinese, Russian and other partners to get North Korea to abide by its international obligations," Carney said.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2013
