Tillerson calls for new approach on North Korea

The State Department has described Tillerson’s trip to Asia as a “listening tour”. He was scheduled to go to China on Saturday and Sunday.

The former oil executive has visited South Korea’s heavily-fortified border with North Korea, the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ).

After Japan, on March 17 Tillerson will pay a one-day visit to South Korea to meet with the acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn and Foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se.

And Mr Tillerson says there is no need for China to punish South Korea for deploying an advanced USA anti-missile system aimed at defending itself against the North.

“In the face of this ever-escalating threat, it is clear that a different approach is required”.

“Part of the goal of my visit to the region is to exchange views on a new approach”, Tillerson added. Just before he took office in January, Trump tweeted: “It won’t happen!” when Kim said North Korea was close to testing an ICBM. “Tillerson expressed the understanding of this policy”, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said.

Speaking to reporters in Taipei Friday, Schriver said there was no need to talk about THAAD yet as the system might not be the most suitable option to defend Taiwan.

North Korea fired four ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan earlier this month in response to annual U.S.

The pace of the North’s missile development has intensified and its projectiles have since previous year been landing ever loser to Japan’s coast.

It follows what he said had been two decades of failure to stop the rogue state developing nuclear weapons.

North Korea’s continuing ballistic missile tests have forced Japan to train a whole new generation of citizens to evacuate in case of an enemy attack.

China has warned that Washington and Pyongyang are on a collision course that could lead to war, and has retaliated economically against South Korea for its agreeing to allow the deployment of the United States missile shield on its soil.

In recent days there have been multiple reports of apparent economic retaliation aimed at South Korea by Beijing.

But China fears the system’s powerful radar will be able to probe deep into its territory and undermine its security. A presidential election will be held on May 9. Moon Jae-in, an opposition politician who has questioned the THAAD deployment, is leading in the opinion polls.

The move has angered China, but South Korea and the U.S. say the system is needed to defend against North Korea.

A U.S. Navy spokesman said the Carl Vinson was on a regular, scheduled deployment to the region during which it would take part in exercises with the forces of ally South Korea.

“Certainly we do not want for things to get to a military conflict”.