US destroyer tails North Korean ship

Seoul: An American destroyer was tailing a North Korean ship suspected of transporting weapons toward Myanmar, as anticipation mounted on Wednesday that the North could soon conduct short-range or medium-range missiles tests.

The Kang Nam left the North Korean port of Nampo about a week ago, and the destroyer USS John S. McCain was following as it sailed off the Chinese coast.

The sailing sets up the first test of a new UN Security Council resolution that authorises member states to inspect North Korean vessels suspected of carrying banned weapons or materials.

The sanctions are punishment for an underground nuclear test the North carried out last month in defiance of past resolutions. It's not clear exactly what the Kang Nam has on board, but it has transported illicit goods in the past.

The North has said it would consider any interception "an act of war". Its state media yesterday accusing the United States of fostering "the worst-ever tension" between the Koreas.

"It's evident that a solid peace on the Korean peninsula cannot be established unless the US hostile policy and its plot to isolate our republic are put to an end," the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary published by the Korean Central News Agency.

A US official said last week that the American destroyer has no orders to intercept the ship, the vessel is expected to stop to refuel soon on a 6,660km, two-week, voyage to Myanmar.

The resolution prohibits member states from providing such services to ships accused of bearing banned goods.

Nearby Singapore - the world's largest refuelling hub - says it will "act appropriately" if the ship docks at its port with suspicious goods on board.