WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Monday warned North Korea that its "old pattern of provocation" was over and insisted that the United States would not buy "good behavior" from the communist state.
Obama was speaking at a joint news conference with Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who warned of a "great possibility" that North Korea would carry out a nuclear test after its failed April 13 rocket launch.
Obama, whose administration sealed a now-moribund deal with North Korea in February after initial hesitation, said that he would no longer follow a pattern of seeking to reward Pyongyang for changing its ways.
"What I've tried to do since I came into office (is) to make sure that North Koreans understand that the old pattern of provocation that then gets attention and somehow insists on the world purchasing good behavior from them, that that pattern is broken," Obama said.
Obama said that the United States along with allies Japan and South Korea were united that North Korea "abide by international norms, that they will not be able to purchase anything from further provocative acts."
While Obama said that he did not want to speculate on further actions by North Korea, Noda noted that the regime carried out its last nuclear test in 2009 amid an uproar over what foreign governments called a missile test.
"That means that there is a great possibility that they will conduct a nuclear test," Noda said.
North Korea has voiced anger over the international reaction to its April 13 test, which it said was an unsuccessful effort to put a satellite into orbit.
The United States and its allies believe that the launch was a disguised test of a long-range missile.
Noda called for coordination on North Korea with China, which is Pyongyang's primary source of political and diplomatic support.
"We need to communicate with each other fully and also stress that China's role continues to be very important and cooperate with China," he said.
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