WEB DESK
US Defense Secretary James Mattis has cautioned against using force to deal with North Korea, saying that a military solution to the situation would be tragic on an unbelievable scale.
He was speaking to reporters at the Pentagon yesterday, days after North Korea test-fired its longest-range rocket. Despite tough talk from top US officials in recent weeks and the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the region, Mr Mattis said, the best option for North Korea is finding an international solution to effectively apply pressure on Pyongyang.
North Korea last Sunday launched a new intermediate-range ballistic missile that is estimated to have reached an altitude of more than 2,000 kilometers.
The US Navy is sending a second aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, to waters near the Korean Peninsula to join the USS Carl Vinson for drills.