The Washington Post said Thursday that the U.S. and its allies in Northeast Asia are working to forge a new strategy toward North Korea out of concern that the current policy toward the isolated, nuclear-armed nation could lead to war.

The newspaper quoted U.S. government officials as saying that the broad outlines of a new strategy were beginning to take shape, with the United States, South Korea and Japan reaching general agreement on a way forward.

It added that anxiety is rising that “strategic patience,” a policy centered around tightened sanctions and joint military exercises, could prompt hard-line factions in the North to redouble efforts to proliferate weapons of mass destruction.

The Washington Post said that U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton held a seminar on North Korea with experts and policy-makers in late August. According to participants, Clinton agreed that it was necessary to find a way to reengage North Korea.

A participant said that two legs of the stool have been employed thus far: sanctions and military exercises. He went on to say that Clinton now views talking with the North as the indispensable third leg.