En route to an official visit to South Korea, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters that the Obama Administration was preparing for various scenarios surrounding possible succession in North Korea. Clinton said that even a peaceful succession “may encourage behaviors that are even more provocative.”

In the meantime, tensions between North and South Korea continued to escalate, and North Korea said again that it was ready for a war with their rivals to the south. Late last month the North Korean government formally abandoned its nonaggression pact with South Korea, and said the two nations were on the brink of war.

Complicating matters, North Korea is reportedly planning a long-range missile test sometime in the next few weeks. Clinton warned the North Korean government not to take “any provocative actions” if it wished to improve relations with the United States.

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