Video: US defence secretary: North Korea presents a real and clear danger Speaking at the National Defense University in Washington, Chuck Hagel said that there was a path to peace on the troubled Korean peninsula, but it didn't include making nuclear threats or taking provocative actions. "Some of the actions they've taken over the last few weeks, present a real and clear danger," Mr Hagel told the audience at the National Defense University in Washington. He said those actions had threatened the interests of South Korea and Japan, but he also cited their direct threats against Guam, Hawaii and West Coast of the United States. North Korea has singled out US military bases in Guam, an American territory in the Pacific, and Hawaii among its potential targets in threats in recent weeks that have put the Korean peninsula on edge.