Rex Tillerson
U.S. Secretary of state Rex Tillerson refused to rule out the possibility of the emergence of nuclear weapons in Japan and South Korea in response to the growing threat from North Korea. The diplomat made in an exclusive interview with Fox News on March 17.
“We exchange opinions. None option is not yet off the table,” said Tillerson, in response to a journalist’s question about whether he is ready to eliminate the nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Commenting on his statement in an interview with Jornal the Independent Review, the diplomat stressed that the future is impossible to predict. “This means everyone in the region should be a clear understanding that circumstances may develop in such a way that for reasons of mutual deterrence we may need to think about it”, — concluded the head of the state Department.
Tillerson arrived in South Korea on an official visit on 17 March. In Seoul, he held talks with foreign Minister Yun Byung-Se, the results of which said that Pyongyang needs to abandon the development of weapons of mass destruction to achieve in the future security and economic prosperity. In addition, he noted that if North Korea would threaten its southern neighbor, Washington may apply for a military action.
The President of the United States Donald trump during his election campaign said that Tokyo and Seoul should acquire nuclear weapons. In January of this year, Tillerson, who was then a candidate to head the state Department, spoke against the idea of trump.
“I don’t think someone who advocates greater the number of nuclear weapons on the planet,” he said at the hearings in the Senate, his words are quoted ABC News.
On 6 March, the DPRK launched in Japan four ballistic missiles, medium-range, three of them fell within the Japanese exclusive economic zone. Pyongyang said that the purpose of the trials was to test attacks on us bases in Japan.