Secretary of State Rex Tillerson left open the possibility of a pre-emptive military strike against North Korea, saying Friday that all options are being considered to contain the rogue state.
“Nothing has been taken off the table,” Tillerson told Fox News in an interview in the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
At a press availability in Seoul, South Korea, the nation’s top diplomat warned that US patience with North Korea is over.
“Let me be very clear: The policy of strategic patience has ended,” the secretary of state said, standing next to his South Korean counterpart, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se.
“All options are on the table. North Korea must understand that the only path to a secure, economically prosperous future is to abandon its development of nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and other weapons of mass destruction.”
He ruled out talks with the North Koreans until its unpredictable leader commits to giving up nuclear weapons.
Tillerson’s comments were unusual since they suggested that the US would consider military force as a way of preventing an attack by Pyongyang, and not just as a means of retaliation.
They came amid a greater sense of urgency about North Korea’s rapid progress toward developing the means to hit the US with a nuclear-tipped missile.
The North Koreans have accelerated their weapons development, violating multiple UN Security Council resolutions and appearing undeterred by tough international sanctions.
Tillerson is due to visit China — North Korea’s main ally and major trading partner — on Saturday and Sunday to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
He said China’s moves to retaliate against South Korea for agreeing to the deployment of a missile-defense program were “troubling” and “inappropriate.”
He vowed to proceed with the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, over China’s complaints.
“While we acknowledge China’s opposition, its economic retaliation against South Korea is inappropriate and troubling,” Tillerson said.
“We ask China to refrain from such actions. Instead we urge China to address the threat that makes THAAD necessary, that being the escalating threat from North Korea.”
After Tillerson’s remarks, President Trump tweeted that North Korea has been taking advantage of the US for years and that China hasn’t done enough to deal with its aggressive neighbor.
“North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been ‘playing’ the United States for years. China has done little to help!” Trump tweeted.