SEOUL (dpa-AFX) - Defense Secretary James Mattis stressed Friday that the U.S. is seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis with North Korea and is not looking to go to war with the reclusive communist country.
The comments from Mattis came as he visited the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea ahead of President Donald Trump's trip to the region next week.
'As Secretary of State Tillerson has made clear, our goal is not war, but rather the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula,' Mattis said.
Mattis argued that North Korea's efforts to advance its nuclear weapons and missile programs threaten regional and world peace despite unanimous condemnation by the United Nations Security Council.
Speaking to U.S. and South Korea troops, Mattis said the two counties are doing everything they can to solve the issue diplomatically.
'Ultimately, our diplomats have to be backed up by strong soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines,' Mattis said. 'So they speak from a position of strength, of combined strength, of alliance strength, shoulder to shoulder.'
Trump is scheduled to make his first trip to Asia as president next week. The trip will include a stop in South Korea to meet President Moon Jae-in.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX