The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says he is worried North Korea may follow up the deadly attack on a South Korean warship with a second provocative act.
Admiral Michael Mullen said in a U.S. television interview Sunday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il tends not to stop after a single move.
The North Korea issue is expected to be on the agenda of further talks between Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who will meet in Tokyo on Monday.
On Saturday, Mr. Wen and Mr. Hatoyama attended a summit with South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak on the South Korean resort island of Jeju.
As the summit ended, Mr. Wen said there is an urgent need to avoid conflict between the two Koreas following the torpedo attack that sank South Korea's Cheonan warship in March, killing 46 sailors.
But he did not join Mr. Hatoyama and Mr. Lee in blaming the incident on North Korea and calling for U.N. Security Council action against Pyongyang.
China is North Korea's only major ally and has been reluctant to do anything that could destabilize the impoverished neighboring state.
After Sunday's summit, the Japanese prime minister said Japan, China and South Korea have a "common view" that the sinking of the Cheonan is a serious problem for peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
An international investigation accuses North Korea of firing the torpedo that sank the Cheonan. Pyongyang denies the allegation.
North Korea staged a mass rally in Pyongyang Sunday in which thousands of people raised their fists in support of the government in its dispute with South Korea.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
