The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama reportedly made preparations recently for the possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula.

Washington Post columnist David Ignatius said in an article on Obama’s foreign policies Sunday that while making few comments in public, the administration mobilized for the possibility of war if North Korea continued its provocations.

Ignatius added that Obama cautioned Chinese President Hu Jintao in a phone call three weeks ago that because North Korea is a nuclear nation, its recklessness threatens the United States.

According to Ignatius, the White House believes the Chinese got the message and warned Pyongyang about engaging in further provocations.