US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the United States would like to have a dialogue with North Korea and isn't seeking to topple its regime. Efforts to curb the rogue state's nuclear program have had little effect.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
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Rex Tillerson sought to assure North Korea Tuesday that the United States was not its enemy, but at the same time warned the regime it must abandon its nuclear activities.
"We don't think having a dialogue where the North Koreans come to the table assuming they're going to maintain their nuclear weapons is productive," the diplomat said.
Briefing reporters at the State Department about his first six months in office, Tillerson acknowledged there were limited options for dealing with Pyongyang, adding that he "would like to sit down and have a dialogue with them about the future."
Rex TillersonImage: Getty Images/M. Wilson
"We do not seek a regime change, we do not seek a collapse of the regime, we do not seek an accelerated reunification of the peninsula," he said. "We're trying to convey to the North Koreans: we are not your enemy, we're not your threat but you are presenting an unacceptable threat to us, and we have to respond."
US President Donald Trump has demanded that China - North Korea's biggest trading partner - do more to rein in its neighbor.Tillerson, however, was more diplomatic, stressing that although China was in a unique position of leverage, it was not to blame for the situation in North Korea.
Missile capable of hitting US
Under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, North Korea has continued to expand its nuclear weapons program, despite a string of UN sanctions.
North Korea claims successful ICBM launch
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North Korea carried out its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test on Friday. Following the launch, leader Kim boasted that North Korea could now strike any target in the United States. Analysts agreed that large parts of the US mainland, including Los Angeles and Chicago, were in range of Pyongyang's weapons.
Meanwhile, a Republican senator has told US television that Trump told him he would go to war with North Korea "if they continue to try to hit America with an ICBM."
"He's told me that. I believe him, " foreign policy hawk Lindsey Graham told the "Today" show. "If I were China, I would believe him, too, and do something about it."
Graham said that the US would have no choice but to launch a devastating military strike if diplomacy and pressure from Beijing fail to curb the threat.
"There is a military option: To destroy North Korea's program and North Korea itself," he said. "I prefer the diplomatic approach. But they will not be allowed to have a missile to hit America with a nuclear weapon on top."
nm/jr (Reuters, AFP)
ICBM threat and North Korea's overall military strength
For years, the international community downplayed the threat of North Korea's military power. With the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, it is clear that Pyongyang's military capabilities are growing.
Image: Gettty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Major achievement
In early June 2017, North Korea test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time. Testing an ICBM marked a major military achievement for Pyongyang and a serious escalation of tensions with the United States and its allies in the region, particularly South Korea and Japan.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Trouble with warheads
At the time, defense experts said the ICBM could reach as far as the US states of Alaska and Hawaii. However, it was unclear if North Korea can field an ICBM capable of carrying a nuclear warhead on its cone that could survive reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. North Korean state media claimed the ICBM was capable of carrying a "large, heavy nuclear warhead" to any part of the United States.
Image: Reuters/KCNA
Pyongyang's nuclear tests - six times and counting
The ICBM is believed to be a step forward in the North's nuclear program. Despite pressure from the international community, Pyongyang has made no secret of its nuclear ambitions. Alongside its ritual ballistic missile tests, North Korea has conducted nuclear tests on at least six occasions, including one in September 2017.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/KCNA
US running out of patience?
Responding to the first ICBM test with a show of force, the US and South Korean troops on conducted "deep strike" precision missile drills using Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and the Republic of Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II. In April, the US sent its Carl Vinson aircraft carrier towards the Korean Peninsula, saying it was taking prudent measures against the North.
Image: picture-alliance/Zumapress/M. Brown
Testing the boundaries
Ignoring international condemnation, Pyongyang test-launched another rocket on July 28, 2017, just weeks after its first ICBM test. In both of the tests, North Korea used Hwasong-14 missile, but the second one reached a higher altitude and traveled a larger distance than the first one, according to the state media.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/KCNA
Whole of US within range?
Pyongyang conducted its third test November 29, using a newly developed Hwasong-15 missile. US, Japanese and South Korean officials said it rose to about 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and flew 960 kilometers (600 miles) over about 50 minutes before landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone off the country's coast.
Image: picture-alliance/MAXPPP
One of the world's largest militaries
Apart from a developing missile and nuclear program, North Korea has a powerful army with 700,000 active troops and another 4.5 million in the reserves. It can call upon almost a quarter of its population to serve in the army at any given time. The North's bloated army is believed to outnumber its southern neighbor's by two-to-one.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/E. Jones
Vast capabilities
According to the 2017 Global Firepower Index, the North has, as part of a far-reaching arsenal, 458 fighter aircraft, 5,025 combat tanks, 76 submarines, and 5,200,000 total military personnel. The picture above from 2013 shows leader Kim Jong Un ordering strategic rocket forces to be on standby to strike US and South Korean targets at any time.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Enemies all around
Alongside the United States, Pyongyang views its neighbors South Korea and Japan as its two other main enemies. North Korea has used US military exercises in the region as means of galvanizing its people, claiming that the exercises are dress rehearsals for an impending invasion.
Image: Reuters/K. Hong-Ji
Huge, colorful demonstrations of military might
Every year, hundreds of thousands of soldiers and citizens roll through the streets of the capital Pyongyang to take part in the North's military parades. Preparations for the rallies often begin months in advance, and the parades usually mark important anniversaries linked with the Communist Party or Kim Jong Un's family.
