U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said it may be necessary to conduct preemptive attacks on North Korea if the threat from Kim Jong Un’s weapons were to reach a level “that we believe requires action.” Tillerson made the statement on Friday during a news conference in the South Korea’s capital of Seoul, where he also said that diplomacy efforts with North Korea have failed and the U.S. is exploring a new range of measures to take against Kim Jong Un’s regime.
A U.S. policy of strategic patience with North Korea has ended, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in South Korea on Friday, adding that military action would be “on the table” if North Korea elevated the threat level.
In his first Asian visit as Secretary of State, Tillerson stated that there had been two decades of failed efforts to denuclearize North Korea and they have failed, including the U.S. providing $1.3 billion in assistance to the authoritarian regime since 1995.
“Let me be very clear: the policy of strategic patience has ended. We are exploring a new range of security and diplomatic measures. All options are on the table,” Tillerson said after visiting the world’s most heavily armed border near the tense demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea.
Tillerson also said that a preemptive attack against North Korea is an option.
“Certainly we do not want for things to get to a military conflict,” Tillerson added. “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.”
“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.
“Today, North Korea not only threatens its regional neighbors but the United States and other countries,” Tillerson added.
Tillerson also encouraged China to be a bigger player in punishing North Korea with sanctions for their extensive history of breaking U.N. Security Council resolutions, including conducting nuclear test explosions and launching ballistic missiles towards Japan.
“We also believe it is not the way for a regional power to help resolve what is a serious threat for everyone. So we hope China will alter its position on punishing South Korea,” Tillerson said of China.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump called out China for not doing enough to rein in North Korea.
North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been "playing" the United States for years. China has done little to help!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2017
However, China may not be so quick to help the United States since it is still upset with the U.S. for deploying the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea.
North Korea has accelerated its weapons development, and experts believe North Korea could have a nuclear intercontinental missile capable of reaching the U.S. within a few years.
Tillerson visited Japan already and will visit China on Saturday. State Department officials have described the tour as a “listening tour” in an effort for the Trump administration to see what direction their Asian partners want to go regarding Pyongyang.
On Thursday, North Korea denounced the U.S. for incorporating Navy Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Carl Vinson and a fleet of B-1B Lancers during the joint military drills with South Korea. The bombers took off from Guam’s Andersen Air Base and conducted an hour-long stealth flight over South Korean on Monday. Pyongyang believes that the drill was designed to simulate strikes against key DPRK targets. North Korea has accused the two nations of “escalating nuclear attack threats” against Pyongyang and the situation has reached a “very dangerous phase.” Washington and Seoul assert that the drills are purely defensive.
The drills are part of the annual joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea called the Foal Eagle field drills. Last year’s drills included about 300,000 South Korean troops and 17,000 Americans, and the numbers should be about the same this year. The difference is that this year’s drills will feature F-35 stealth fighters as well as SEAL Team 6, which have never been a part of the exercises before. That has prompted speculation that SEAL Team 6, which took out Osama bin Laden, could be used in a decapitation strike against North Korea.