In the latest threat from the isolated country, North Korea has moved two missiles towards its coastline, but they are not believed to be capable of reaching the United States. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
By Ian Johnston and Becky Bratu, NBC News
North Korea told foreign embassies Friday that it will not be able to guarantee their safety ?in the event of conflict? from April 10, the U.K. said in a statement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Moscow was in close contact with the United States, China, South Korea and Japan over a North Korean request to consider the possibility of evacuating embassies, Russian news agencies reported.
"The proposal was made to the embassies in Pyongyang, and we are trying to clarify the situation," Interfax quoted Lavrov as saying during a visit to Uzbekistan.
He was quoted as saying: "We are in close contact with our Chinese partners as well as the Americans, the South Koreans and the Japanese."
The missiles aren't capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, however they do have a range of about 2000 miles which means they are within reach of South Korea. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
The statement from the U.K. Foreign Office said its embassy in Pyongyang ?received a communication from the North Korean government this morning saying that the North Korean government would be unable to guarantee the safety of embassies and international organizations in the country in the event of conflict from April 10th.?
A British official said the message was a general one that was sent to other embassies.
The significance of the date was unclear. However, the North told South Korean companies that operate factories in the Kaesong industrial zone to complete pulling out by April 10, Ok Sung-suk, vice president of an association that represents them, said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
'Ongoing rhetoric'
A British official, who declined to be named, said that ?we believe this is part of the ongoing rhetoric? from the North Korea regime.
On Thursday, State Department said the United States had to take necessary defensive steps in light of North Korea's escalating threats.
But it also emphasized that it could "change course" if the North stopped issuing threats.
"The moves that we have been making are designed to ensure and to reassure the American people and our allies that we can defend the United States, that we will and that we can defend our allies," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland discusses the increase of aggressive rhetoric that is being expressed on a regular basis by the North Korean government.
"It was the ratcheting up of tensions on the DPRK [the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or North Korea's official name] side that caused us to need to shore up our own defense posture,? she said.
Nuland added that while the U.S. took North Korea's "bellicose threats" seriously, the situation on the Korean Peninsula "does not need to get hotter."
"We can change course here if the DPRK will begin to come back into compliance with its international obligations, will begin to cool things down, take a pause," she added.
The North is "wrong-headed" if it thinks these threats will help them get aid from the international community and its rhetoric will only lead to further isolation of the country, Nuland said.
A U.S. intelligence officer said Thursday that North Korea was moving a medium-range missile to a site in the east of the country. The official declined to say where the Musudan missile was headed, but the North has used a site near the Russian border on the coast for its missile tests in the past.
Citing intelligence sources, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Friday that a second intermediate-range missile had been hidden on the east coast of North. NBC News was unable to independently verify the claim.
Experts say a ground war with North Korea would be devastating, with 700,000 North Korean soldiers aiming thousands of rockets and artillery at South Korea. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
South Korea's Defense Ministry declined to comment on the report, according to Reuters.
On Wednesday, North Korea's military said in a statement that ?the moment of explosion is approaching fast."
?No one can say a war will break out in Korea or not and whether it will break out today or tomorrow,? it added.
NBC News' Catherine Chomiak and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related:
Nine 'facts' about North Korea's Kim Jong Un
N. Korea's overseas apologists dismiss 'propaganda'
Full North Korea coverage from NBC News
This story was originally published on Thu Apr 4, 2013 8:27 PM EDT
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