James Mattis, US defence secretary, on Friday warned Pyongyang that Washington would respond to the use of nuclear weapons with “effective and overwhelming” force, just days after the White House launched a comprehensive review of North Korea policy.
Speaking in Seoul on his first overseas trip as Pentagon chief, Mr Mattis said North Korea continued to engage in “threatening rhetoric and behaviour” with missile launches and its nuclear weapons programme. He stressed that the US commitment to defending South Korea and other US allies in the Asia Pacific was “ironclad”.
“Any attack on the United States, or our allies, will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons would be met with a response that would be effective and overwhelming,” Mr Mattis said before a meeting with Han Min-koo, the South Korean defence minister.