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Tillerson on North Korea: ‘All Options Are on the Table’

Tillerson on North Korea: ‘All Options Are on the Table’
folder_openKoreas access_time7 years ago
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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reported the Trump administration's clearest signal yet that it would consider military action against North Korea, saying Friday that "all options are on the table."

Tillerson on North Korea: ‘All Options Are on the Table’

"Certainly we do not want for things to get to a military conflict, we're quite clear on that in our communications, but obviously if North Korea takes actions that threaten the South Korean forces or our own forces, then that would be met with an appropriate response," Tillerson said at a press conference in Seoul with Yun Byung-se, the South Korean foreign minister.

Relatively, the North said that it is working on an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the United States' mainland, and has shown clear progress in its missile program in tests over the last year.

"If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level that we believe requires action, that option is on the table," Tillerson said, adding that he hoped North Korea would respond to other pressure, like sanctions, before military action became necessary.

Tillerson made the remarks after visiting the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas. There, he came almost face to face with North Korean soldiers standing on the other side of the yellow line that marks the border.

Tillerson earlier met with South Korea's acting president, Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is running the country following the impeachment of Park Geun-hye on corruption charges last week.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team

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