North Korea has got to be stopped: Pentagon chief

US Defense Secretary James Mattis warns that North Korea “has got to be stopped” on its path toward being able to threaten the United States with nuclear attack.

Mattis made the remarks at a press conference in London in his first visit to Britain as the Pentagon chief on Friday. He also described as “reckless” Pyongyang’s recent behavior in testing ballistic missiles.

“Right now, [North Korea] appears to be going in a very reckless manner in what its conduct is portraying for the future, and that’s got to be stopped,” Mattis said.

The Pentagon chief declined to provide further details about how Washington will deal with North Korea to curb its nuclear program, saying only that it is enlisting the help of other nations.

“We will be working with the international community to address this, we’re doing so right now, we’re working through the United Nations, we’re working with our allies, and we’re working diplomatically including with those that we might be able to enlist in this effort to get North Korea under control,” he noted.

Rex Tillerson, the US secretary of state, said during a visit to East Asia earlier this month that all options were on the table to deal with Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear ambitions, including military action.

North Korea has so far conducted five confirmed nuclear tests and numerous missile launches. The United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) have already imposed an array of crippling sanctions on the country over its missile and nuclear programs. Pyongyang says the programs are meant to guarantee security against potential US military aggression.

Last month, Pyongyang fired a missile into the sea off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula just as US President Donald Trump was hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida retreat. The North’s military also fired four ballistic missiles into the sea near Japanese territory earlier this month.

Tensions have been running high between the US and North Korea for months now.

Last week, Pyongyang warned Washington that a preemptive strike was always a possibility, after the US and South Korean military forces simulated attacks on North Korean targets during joint military drills that involve 17,000 American troops and more than 300,000 South Koreans.

Washington has been sending sophisticated weapons to the South in order to prevent Seoul against what it calls the North’s “aggression.”

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