WASHINGTON: North Korea's missile program has emerged a global 'threat', the United States said on Wednesday after the Stalinist nation reportedly test-fired two missiles amid a stalemate in nuclear talks.

Washington urged Pyongyang to abide by a moratorium on missile tests and return to six-nation talks aimed at ending its nuclear weapons drive.

"As we have continued to point out, North Korea's missile program and activities are a threat not only to the region, but the international community at large," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

The United States, he said, "call upon North Korea to abide by the moratorium concerning missile tests."

Pyongyang carried out the missile tests at around 9:00 am and at noon (0300 GMT) on Wednesday, Japan's Nippon Television Network said, quoting officials of the Japanese Defence Agency and public security authorities.

The ground-to-ground missiles with a range of five kilometers (3.1 miles) landed in North Korean territory, the television network said.

The tests appeared to be North Korean 'posturing' following their hints at ending the six-party talks and a recent US warning of a Pyongyang missile build up, said Strategic Forecasting Inc. (Stratfor), a private US intelligence firm.

"Given the current political climate -- stalled six-party talks, discussions over sanctions and counterfeiting and US warnings of a North Korean missile build up -- the timing fits with Pyongyang's previous ploys," Stratfor said in a report.

The nuclear talks involving the United States, China, the two Koreas, Russia and Japan have been stalled since November following financial sanctions imposed by Washington on Pyongyang for alleged counterfeiting and money laundering activities.

The North Korean missile tests were similar to ones carried out in February, March and October 2003 and in May 2005, experts said. North Korea is said to have following a 1999 moratorium on medium- and long-range missile tests. 

In an indication that the United States wanted to check North Korea's missile threat, McCormack said Washington was "working with our friends and allies in the region on deployment of active missile defenses"

"We have cooperative relationships with a number of countries around the world on missile defense, and that would also include in the northeast Asia region," he said.