TheCable

After months of tense relations, the United States has said it does not pose a threat to North Korea, and that a regime change in the country is not its agenda.

Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, on Tuesday said his country and North Korea are not enemies.

“We do not seek a regime change, we do not seek the collapse of the regime, we do not seek an accelerated reunification of the peninsula, we do not seek an excuse to send our military north of the 38th parallel,” said Tillerson while speaking at the state department press briefing.

“We’re not your enemy, we’re not your threat but you’re presenting an unacceptable threat to us and we have to respond.”

Tillerson also pointed out that the US would be interested in a round table discussion on coming to a common ground at some point.

He said: We surely don’t blame China for the situation in North Korea. Only the North Koreans are to blame for this situation” and added that “we do believe China has a special and unique relationship, because of this significant economic activity, to influence the North Korean regime in ways that no one else can.

“That’s why we continue to call on them to use that influence to create the situation where we can have a productive dialogue.”

North Korea has, despite sanctions from the United Nations and threats of more, carried on with its missile programmes, having tested a number of them in the past few months.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the defiance of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his country’s weapons programme.