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| SecState Rex Tillerson |
WASHINGTON, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump will take the "appropriate" action if North Korea tests a nuclear bomb over the Pacific Ocean as threatened, his top diplomat said Friday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday warned of the "highest level" action after Trump told the U.N. General Assembly the U.S. will have no choice but to "totally destroy" the North if forced to defend itself or its allies.
Kim's top diplomat, Ri Yong-ho, told reporters in New York such action could involve a powerful test of a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific.
"We will continue our efforts in the diplomatic arena, but all of our military options -- as the president has said -- is on the table," Tillerson said in an interview on ABC. "And once we can assess the nature of this threat, the president will make a decision regarding the appropriate actions."
Pressed to answer if there could be military action, he said: "That will be the president's decision. There will be assembled and there is assembled on a standing basis a National Security Council that meets on each of these issues to advise the president. Ultimately, it will be his decision."
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