Singapore ? North Korea’s progress on nuclear weapons and long-range missiles is “a harbinger of a dark future” and has created an urgent need for more pressure on the reclusive communist government to change its ways, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Saturday.

He said the North’s nuclear program does not “at this point” represent a direct military threat to the United States and he does not plan to build up American troops in the region. But the North’s efforts pose the potential for an arms race in Asia that could spread beyond the region, he added.

At an annual meeting of defense and security officials, the Pentagon chief said past efforts to cajole North Korea into scrapping its nuclear weapons program have only emboldened it.

North Korea’s yearslong use of scare tactics as a bargaining chip to secure aid and other concessions — only to later renege on promises — has worn thin the patience of five nations negotiating with the North, Gates said.

“I think that everyone in the room is familiar with the tactics that the North Koreans use. They create a crisis and the rest of us pay a price to return to the status quo ante,” he said in a question and answer session after his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue.

The sharp statements were echoed by the South Korean defense minister and even China, North Korea’s strongest ally. They reflect fears throughout the region that last week’s nuclear and missile tests by North Korea could spiral out of control and lead to fighting.